Sustainability

Sarah Leggett
Sustainability
Final Project

At the beginning of the year, I thought that sustainability meant that something could last a long time without any harmful effects or without something breaking. However, throughout the class, I learned that being sustainable has a totally different meaning when its used with Environmental Science. Basically everything we need to survive as humans is either a renewable or more than likely, a nonrenewable resource. Sustainability is the ways to create and maintain a certain level which all living things can coexist without disrupting each other. Its the principle of maintaining our resources and to develop new ways to protect those resources. As humans, it is human nature to want what we cannot have. With that being said, we all want the best, newest, and 'coolest' thing on the market, so we spend massive amounts of money just on materialistic things. Take Apple for example; sure, they produce great computers. But does the price we pay for them equal out to be a great computer? I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I love my Mac. But sometimes I feel as though we pay for the label instead of for the quality. And that's definitely something that this class has gotten me to think about. The rise in global population is also a contributing factor in regards to living sustainably. With many people, you need many resources. In the near future, we may run out of resources. And it may be sooner than everyone thinks.

I honestly had no idea that glaciers were melting at the rate at which they are, and I had no idea that they are a huge contributing factor to rising global sea-level. This is one of the things that I believe will stick with me the most from this class. Global warming is in fact happening, and I never really believed that until I took this class. At the rate at which the glaciers are melting, I fear for the coastal areas, such as New York City, Florida, and even Virginia.

This is another thing that really stood out to me. I knew that water ways were being polluted, but I never thought something this major would be occurring. This is why so many animals living in these waterways are dying every year; they're either ingesting pollution or being captured by nets that are trying to eliminate the waste in the water. Either way, this is a huge problem with huge bodies of water.

Wind energy is becoming a huge alternative option for generating electricity. Not only is it renewable, but it is plentiful, widely distributed, clean, and produces no greenhouse emissions. However, two down sides of wind energy are the amount of land they take up and the noise level. The turbines are generally loud, which can be problematic for areas such as Virginia, where they are planning on building wind turbines off the coast of Virginia. When I drove through Kansas this past summer, I saw many wind farms with thousands of turbines on each farm. It seems to be an upcoming business with immense possibilities. Hopefully, within the near future, wind turbines can be used as a great alternative to fossil fuels, as well as many other ways.

Sustainability- Lauren Moorefield

Sustainability

by Lauren Moorefield

Sustainability is the ability to adapt to ones environment and use resources at a rate in which using them will not be detrimental to the environment, therefore being able to support species indefinitely. Imagining a sustainable world is hard for me to do with all the things that we do unsustainably. One of my major concerns with living unsustainably is population growth. I feel that our exponential growth is too great and that we will soon overshoot the human carrying capacity causing the population to crash. Another major concern I have is with global warming due to all of the ways we pollute our earth. Burning fossil fuels for energy is a number one concern I have with that. So many pollutants are released into the air that are increasing and accelerating global warming. The video we watched on how six degrees could change the world really opened my eyes and made me scared for the future of our planet. The last concern I have relating to unsustainable living is the destruction of resources and ecosystems due to wasteful use on our part. Things such as clear cutting forests for wood for building or redirecting rivers to provide cities with water. Redirecting rivers is how 90% of the everglades became destroyed and there is no reason for that to happen. We need to learn to work cohesively with our environment around us and not try to control it. It was created to sustain the human population but only if we use it and its resources correctly.

Population is a major concern I have realting to the earth's sustainability. As you can see from this graph above the earths population is growing exponentially right now and is projected to keep doing so. It is hard to know what the carrying capacity for the earth is but I feel that we are fast approaching it and may very soon overshoot it. If this happens there could be a huge population crash that would be detrimental to society and the environment.

Bottled water versus tap is water is a lesson I really enjoyed learning about this year. I never knew that tap water is essentially better for you and I never used to drink it before taking this class. Now I refuse to buy or drink bottled water and I preach to everyone about how tap water is more regulated than bottled water and not to mention cheaper. It was an eye opening lesson for me that changed some of my habits for life.

One of the last sections we studied this year dealt with waste management. It was so interesting to me but also really worried me. Again learning about it in this class has caused me to change many of my habits and I think before I throw away anything now. It shocked me that 51 billion water bottles are used each year in America and only 1 out of every 5 is recycled. I encourage everyone to recycle and create less waste altogether now. Also since tap water is better for you anyways, if everyone adopted a reusable water bottle the problem would be greatly decreased! I hope one day to be able to help accomplish this.

Sustainability to Thomas Westfall

1)    In the beginning of the year, I use to think sustainability was just a term used to describe how durable/reliable an object or material was.  Now I know that Sustainability is a word used to describe the state of the world.  Is our world sustainable? Can our world last for generations to come and provide like it did for our generation?  Is the world durable enough to support the rising population?  Sustainability is a term used to describe everything  around us.  Each person makes up part of the world, so each person effects the world's sustainability.  I feel the main problem is at home; with more people being affected by Affluenza (constant WANTS and desires) the problem gets bigger.  Many people around the world, especially Americans, want and want no matter what the case.  People want material items just like their friends or neighbors.  Almost like the Jones'.  The problem is, the more items you have means more items will break or malfunction.  Then people will have to get it fixed or like many Americans throw it away and get a new better item.  Plus items they are making now are not easy to fix.  Items are made to be discarded if they break.  People everyday throw grills, chairs, and appliances to the curve because they don't get them fixed.  However, in their defense, our society today makes it difficult to repair or buy a new part for something.  A big part of Sustainability is reduce, reuse, and recycle, not buy, use, throwaway.  This year in APES I have learned it is the small day in and day out changes that sustain the world.  There is no million dollar idea to fix everything; it is the thousand dollar ideas that help the world and people live sustainable.

2)     People grabbing and taking because they can, not because they need too. Affluenza is a big problem in our country and APES has taught me that do what you can to help the world at home.  Solve the problems you can fix.  Don't fall victim to convince and use disposable things, take the extra minute and fill up a water bottle rather than grabbing a plastic one.  flickriver.com


 Nuclear Power is great way to produce a lot of clean energy, even though it can be quiet expensive.  I was surprised to find that the general public think contamination from Nuclear Power is the nation's second most worried environmental hazard.  However, the general public do not realize the safety and precautions drills Nuclear Plants go through.  Nuclear Power should not be the main alternate energy source, but we could use it more.   en.wikipedia.org


 In APES, I have learned a great deal about logging and deforestation.  Not that these go together.  I have discovered logging and even clear cut logging are not bad for the environment.  If companies take environmental cautions and replant the ground propitiatory, the forest will re-grow fine.  I originally thought logging and the destruction of forest was awful, but now I understand the renewable source of wood and the forest will be fine if logged smartly.   believetrees.wordpress.com

Sustainability

Final Sustainability Blog Post

At the beginning of the year, my definition of sustainability was the ability to use resources for a long time, but after taking part in APES, I know that sustainability is an educated lifestyle where humans practice environmentally conscious ways as well as take responsibility for the earth. This, however, is only a definition, living sustainably is not that simple. To live sustainably, both the government as well as individuals must live up to certain standards that can keep the earth healthy. One of the most important issues is the fact that governments cannot exhaust their supplies of nonrenewable resources. They should instead couple them with renewable resources in a smart fashion. This decreases our dependency on foreign resources as well as cutting out the environmental harm that accompanies the transportation of these resources. As a country, we must also be open to other energy sources such as wind or hydropower, because along with reducing carbon dioxide and other harmful air pollutants, these practices also preserve natural habitats, are not harmful to dispose of after they have served their purpose, and do not have any negative affect on human health. Governments must also be open to new methods of waste disposal, new laws protecting the environment, and they must always consider the environmental consequences rather than only the economic consequences. The government, however, is not the only one who has to make lifestyle changes, individuals and families also can alter their ways to more environmentally friendly ones. This can be as simple as using energy efficient lightbulbs, carpooling, recycling, washing your car less frequently to conserve water, and other simple changes. While expensive, other changes such as solar panels and driving energy efficient cars can also make a difference. Many folks believe that something as small as switching out their lightbulb brand cannot make any kind of impact; this may be true, but what they are really doing is setting an example for their community, and that community sets an example for the city, which sets an example for the state, and through this positive feedback loop, soon the whole country is living sustainability. The most important thing we can do as a country is educate our members on how to live sustainability, because once a person knows what to do, they will take the initiative to make the change to their lifestyle.

Wind turbines, in my opinion, are the best and cleanest way to get our energy. They emit no pollutants, are not that expensive to build or maintain, and in large numbers, they can provide a great deal of energy. I chose wind turbines because they are a powerful symbol of the sustainable life we should be living; they set an example that inspires us all.

The amount of garbage we produce not only as a nation but as a world really resonated with me. I was appalled by the inappropriate disposal of a great portion of the trash, and it is very sad that the majority of that improperly disposed of trash ends up in the Pacific Ocean. The trash island that is forming in the Pacific Ocean is a lesson for all of us to learn the hard way about trash disposal.

Up until I took APES, I had never really believed in global warming being the fault of humans, I had always thought that it was a natural process that the Earth had been going through for millions of years. While I still know it is a natural process, I am now aware that humans do in fact have a noticeable impact on global warming. I was pleased to learn that changes to reverse these effects have already been employed, but that they will take a few years to make a difference. 

-Jen Johnson

Sustainability

To me, sustainability means being able to live without creating more waste and being able to reuse and recycle any waste that would be created. One reason why we are unable to live sustainably is because of affluenza. Affluenza is the assumption that buying more and more things will bring us happiness, if we keep buying more and more goods we are just creating more and more waste. Another issue that is holding us back from being able to live sustainably is the theory of Tragedy of the Commons. Tragedy of the Commons is the idea that no one takes responsibility for a shared place, like the environment and so people keep assuming someone else will pick up the garbage and fix the pollution problems in the environment. Inorder for the human population to live more sustainably, people need to take responsibility for the destruction and waste they are putting into the environment and need to reuse and recycle more goods instead of just buying new ones.


I learned that there are over 5.1 billion pounds of plastic bottles that are available for recycling. But only about half of this is actually recycled. I learned that is is not only economically cost effective but also environmentally cost effective to buy and use a reusable water bottle instead of constantly purchasing plastic water bottles.









Garbage Island in the Pacific Ocean was formed due to the North Pacific Gyre or ocean currents. Every time garbage and plastic
                                                         waste is put into the ocean it comes here. Before taking APES I never knew there was such a thing as garbage island, I thought all the waste that  is put in just floats around in the ocean.

                          



The human population is growing at an astounding rate and it is the number one cause of environmental problems. Pretty soon the Earth will not be able to support us because we have exhausted all resources. Most population growth is happing in developing countries because life expectancy is still lower and mortality rates are still high. If developed countries like the United States helped the developing countries like India establish themselves, then we could slow down the growth of the human population.

Breanna Barbeau

Prior to taking this class, sustainability meant being able to use things for a long period of time.  Now I realize that it isn't quite that simple.  Being sustainable means that we, as the caretakers of this planet, must understand how to use the resources we have in a manner that will not degrade their limited supplies and will not cause damage to our environment.  We must use renewable resources cautiously, for if we take them more rapidly than they can be replenished, they will quickly become unsuable to our generation and many more to come.  Knowing that some of the key non-renewable resources used globablly could be gone in a matter of 50 years should scare us into using more sustainable methods.  However, we continue to take as much as we want, more focused on our economies and personal pleasures.  We are especially unsustainable when it comes to fossil fuels.  Because our economies and every day lives are driven by the use of coal, natural gal, and oil, companies must get their consumer a large amount of product as fast as possible.  Therefore, sustainability is not often a priority, and neither is the environment.  Devoloping countries that are on the brink of being developed, such as China, are also largely contributing to the problem.  Because they are new to the world of factories and cars, China is not yet concerned about being sustainable just yet, claiming that the U.S. had a chance to develop without environmental concern, so they should be able to also, as demonstrated by the Kyoto Protocol.  If we want our grandchildren to live comfortably on a clean earth, the average person has to be educated on the issues we face and try to help the problem.  Everyone can reduce, reuse, and recycle, which contributes tremendously to sustainability.  If we want to continue to support the world's quickly increasing population, we must use our resources wisely.

This picture, to me, opens the eye to how unsustainably we live.  Instead of attempting to reduce, reuse, and recycle, tons and tons of trash get buried underground to slowly biodegrade.  If we do not change our ways, we will all eventually be prisoners in a world full of trash.

I was surprised to find out that one of they key factors in developing a country lies with womens' education.  When more women are empowered with knowledge, we see more women being independent, contributing to the economy by working, and limiting the size of their family with contraceptives.

Industrialization has really damaged the envorionment.  The vast development of factories has especially been hurting air quality.  Smog is polluting the air we breathe, and is most dangerous to the most vulnerable members of our community: babies and seniors.  Factories need to learn how to create cleaner emissions and make it their mission to be environmentally efficient.

Morgan's Sustainability

What Sustainability Means to Me 

     

     The definition of sustainability has taken on new meaning throughout the year as I discovered how badly the human race as a whole has degraded the environment. In the beginning of the year sustainability was just another word for how the human population was destroying the Earth and how we needed to change. Now that I look back on all that we have covered for the duration of the year, I see that this definition could not be more vague.  Sustainability is a way of life that every person should strive to be a part of. In order to live sustainably a person must be conscience of the environment in everyday life, not as simply an after thought. To live sustainably a person must know about the current environmental issues and how to limit their contribution to the problem. In short, to live sustainably is to live a life that will keep the Earth healthy for centuries to come. On of the major issues I feel is limiting us from living sustainably is the way that society as a whole disposes of waste. This is a problem because our country alone produces more waste than most counties in the Middle East, which have larger populations than the United States, and we are shipping it around the world to be burned or buried. China is also becoming a large producer of waste and is literally "up to its knees" in garbage. Along with the issue of waste is the problem of fossil fuel depletion. As populations grow around the world, more and more people want to have a high standard of living, which calls for the need of more fossil fuels. The rise in need of fossil fuels contributes to the Carbon output which is a large prevention from the world at large living sustainably. Sustainability is a way of life that every person should take on in order for the environment to remain healthy and able to sustain human life.

One topic that really hit home with me was the massive scale of China's waste management problem. This image scares me because it makes me realize just how big the problem really is and how we cannot simply ignore it in hopes that it will just go away. This problem will not solve itself, we as a society must change.

http://www.happenstand.com/images/upload/0/5874/1300661952.jpg

This is an image of the polar ice caps being compared between 1980 and 2003. This picture speaks volumes with me because it is tangible evidence that the world is changing, and not for the better. This class has changed my views in that I see this as a real problem not; not as something that I can ignore in hope that it will simply 'go away'.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmjEtD6dFqETj80UkUvfylNUQXrZL-1AuuRnUf7RlxFbtBIDfvhXdOUg5XNsyftzLq6H8zVLEthGgBq0Jw7fyyTegq9i0j9rdVn44iMI7uhxT2S4vpQaaTdSRQEqGekuJNrNoYbI007xu/s320/arctic_ice_sheet_comparison_chart.jpg


Another problem that most people think about, but never understand, is deforestation. This is a picture of the  once bountiful Amazon rain-forest, which now lays barren due to the multitude of trees that have been taken. This image displays just how intense the problem is and how quickly we need to change in order to ensure that this problem does not cost the lives of entire species.
http://scixchange.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/amazon_deforestation.jpg