[HW] When It All Comes Down To It...

..There are a lot of things that I could discuss and research that relate to environmental science. This science, as I have come to learn over the past semester, is pretty much the study of how the earth works and how us humans influence it through our actions. And it's more than just that. Because we ourselves are a part of nature and the world so this science even studies how humans are affected by the earth. It's a rather all-encompassing subject.
This semester has brought me abundant knowledge and clarity on the world and my part in it. And as my last blog post, I will give into a time of reflection where I examine the biggest environmental issue today. Now for everyone's sake, especially my own, I have narrowed the spectrum down to the biggest environmental issue today within the United States.
Getting straight to the point, I believe one of the biggest issues within the US is over consumption. If there's one thing I have learned from this class is that the US has no concept of moderation (now given, I have learned many more things in this class!). I believe this is an issue due to the US dependency upon non-renewable sources. These sources of energy are ones that cannot be replenished over a short period of time. The US has a huge dependency upon fossil fuels, such as, coal and oil. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2011 the US consumed 18.8 million barrels PER DAY of petroleum products. We import and export oil like crazy. The problem is, what will happen once this source is gone? It is not only an economic issue, but while we are burning and consuming so much oil we are putting the environment at stake.
Now, here's the issue. Now what can the US do to solve it? One way is to encourage and fund research for alternative fuels and energy. Another solution is to transform the way we transport ourselves by increasing more efficient transportation. Another way is to fix the soul issue of over consumption and promote moderation (how do you think we should accomplish this?). There may be many solutions, but which ones will actually be effective once implemented into our society? What do you think?
Now things don't change overnight. It's a personal responsibility to start the change and to encourage others to join in. I have contemplated over what I can do. First thing for me is to just be aware of the issues and the solutions. Second is to figure out what I can live without and what can I replace in order to decrease my consumption. Some examples would be to decrease my purchases that come with way too much packaging, buying local, and having a consciousness of how I will reuse and repurpose products.
Those are just some ideas that I will hopefully implement.

Out of this whole semester, I was moved by the documentaries that we watched during class. A movie called Dive! discussed the great issue of food waste and a movie called Bag It discussed how much plastic has increased in every part of life. Both movies really moved me towards a change in my own life. My eyes were opened to a bigger world and how much of a burden I need to take on in every decision I make that will effect the environment.

And there you have it. It's probably my longest post thus far, but it's also my last. It's been a great semester getting to learn about so many things and being able to share them with whoever reads them! if you've been on this journey with me through my semester, I encourage you to comment on this post. Let me know your thoughts and if you took charge of living in an environmentally conscious way!

Tread lightly everyone! and Happy summer!

[HW] THE SKY IS FALLING!

...that may not be politically correct. Aside from chicken little, this phrase reminds me of the state of the environment around us - Will the sky ACTUALLY fall?? - Ok, that may still be dramatic, but there is a constant discussion geared towards the state of our climates around the world and if they are changing. In other words, does global warming exist?

Let's the great debate begin!

To start off, is the climate actually changing or is it just a natural pattern that we have progressively noticed? In the United Nations Climate Change Information Kit, climate change is confirmed by the observation of how the earth deals with greenhouse gases. The earth will adjust to be able to balance the energy. The more greenhouses emitted into the environment, the more the earth will adjust and change to maintain balance, and thus the environment will be affected in, sometimes, drastic ways that we can notice.

It doesn't help that human activity has not helped the situation. In fact, the increase of greenhouse gases can be pin pointed to humans. According to the EPA's Climate Indicator handbook, the US by itself is responsible for a 14 percent increase of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. This increase was recorded from 1990 to 2008. The major human activity that feeds the issue at hand is the increase of energy use, via electricity. This use of energy releases these emissions that aid towards the climate changes we have today.

Climate change not only is the cause of the irregular weather, but also many other things in our world. According to NAS, or the National Academics of Science Climate Change Information Site, I was able to find a statement geared towards a more rapid response towards climate change. In it, it gave concern towards not only the melting Arctic sea ice, but with that, the rapid sea level increase. Reading further into UNFFCC information kit will reveal that with climate change, the most affected areas will be sensitive areas - or places that are characterized as places that will have difficulty to adapt. Adding onto that aspect, the people in developing countries are affected harshly by climate change, that would greatly damage their economy and society.

Even with these broadly accepted conclusions, there will still be those who argue against climate change and it being an actual issue. The Heartland Institute published an article titled Global Warming: Not a Crisis. Within the article, Heartland expresses its issues, or concerns, involving global warming. Their concern is how much weight of global warming belongs to human activity and how much of it is a natural occurrence. Also they question if global warming itself is an actually "bad" thing or does it come with benefits. I can understand the doubts towards the topic of climate change alot better now that I got a chance to look at this article.

But, for imagination's sake - try to picture the world's state 50 years from now. Imagine its climate if we continued our normal energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Would it still be the same? I doubt that. Because the earth is always working on balancing energy which causes noticable climate changes, the more continuance use and amount of energy for human activity will probably raise greenhouse emissions significantly. Though I think the earth will still be able to keep itself stabalized as a whole, I believe there will be many places, mostly sensitive areas, that will be great affected and maybe even disappear! It is 50 years from now after all! We ought to be proactive in our energy usage and other areas that feed into climate change. What are your thoughts on the world 50 years from now?

[HW] Chemical Usage

Living in a time and age where science and technology advance faster than a turn in monopoly, it is difficult to keep up with how discoveries are affecting the things we use, the places we live in, and our physical selves. We encounter various types of chemicals that we are told aid our standards of living. There are chemicals that aid how we clean, how we deal with food, and in the products we use on a daily basis. With the consumer-driven mindset, we may often be blinded to the concerns of chemical usage. It sometimes is hard for me, personally, to understand that not everything sold in supermarkets, malls and stores are safe for you. There may be harmful levels of chemicals that you may be exposed to that can affect you, possibly in detrimental ways. 

This week's homework assignment was to reflect on an article published by CQ Press titled Regulating Toxic Chemicals: do we know enough about chemical risks? The article presents the argument that we may not be proactive enough in testing the toxicity of chemicals in the products we use everyday. The article then discusses various topics that are of concern, for instance, nanotechnology, green chemistry, environmental impacts and laws and regulations. One topic that the article discusses, and that I have had a growing interest, in was exposure to Bisphenol A, or more commonly known as, BPA.

BPA is a chemical that is used in plastic production. According to FDA.org, BPA is used to produce hard plastics, like reusable water bottles. It is also used in the lining of canned foods. According to the article, the health risks of BPA have been scientifically known since the 1930's when animal testing discovered endocrine disruption. A result of such a disruption, they observed reproductive and developmental issues. As later stated, within the 1990's BPA toxicity is strong enough to affect humans even in low quantities (though the FDA reports differently). 

Regardless of the health hazard, BPA is still in use today, but thankfully the market demand for BPA-free products has risen due to the continued research and wide-spread knowledge of the disadvantages. 

After reading about how the US has dealt with BPA use, so far, I decided to check out how Europe has handled it. Within the article there is a short section explaining how some regulations are more "precautionary," in that, they will prevent products with chemical risks to even market and if there is no substitute for a certain chemical, that chemical use must be justified in some logical way. 

In 2010, The Independent published an article called Government 'must follow Europe's lead and ban BPA'. The article informs of Denmark's decision to ban BPA in young children products (i.e. baby bottles, etc.). Denmark is noted to be the first European nation to take this sort of initiative against the chemical use; regardless of the popular opinion of BPA safety shared by the US FDA as well as the British Government. 

Do you have an opinion on the chemical usage of BPA? 

[HW] H2O

Cite

Hey Ya'll! I'm back for another homework assignment! I had a wonderful spring break, but it feels good to get back into researching and learning about new things around me. So without further a due, I'll introduce my newest topic: The good ol' H2O!
You seriously can't live without this stuff - it's the majority of your body and the world, but only a small percentage of water supply is fresh - meaning not full of saltiness which will not be of great benefit should you consume it in great amounts. Fresh is the way to go!

Their are a few ways that fresh water gets to your tap. For my city's 2010 Water Quality Report, 62% of its water comes from groundwater wells owned by the Department of Water and Power. 32% comes from the Colorado river by way of Lake Matthews and the last 6% comes from Northern California by way of the California Aqueduct. In recent news, by the end of 2012 another water source will be added by a partnership with the Western Municipal Water District which is expected to bring better "water reliability."

As of 2010, I learned that the water quality of my tap water can still contain a few nasty lil' stinkers. For instance, in the water quality report it said that water could still contain viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment plants, salts and metals from natural sources and urban stormwater runoff, and pesticides from various sources - just to name a few! According to the EWG tap water database 2009, my city was tested for over 18 thousand tests when the average national amount of tests was 420! That among other results shows how low of quality my city's water was from 2004-2009 when the tests were conducted.


Who's in charge of water quality anyway? Not just local - but across the United States? Well - I have the answer for you! The federal agency that places standards for tap water is the EPA which stands for Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA lists an extensive number of contaminates and regulates their maximum levels that is allowed in drinking water (See basic listing here) and requires cities (like mine) to submit yearly water quality reports.

The EPA is pretty strict in it's drinking water regulation. An interesting subject to digress (but not really - it's also a part of my homework assignment) to is bottle water and its regulations. It may surprise you, but the EPA does not regulate bottled water. "Who does" you ask? Why, the FDA does! FDA stands for Food and Drug Distribution. The trouble with the FDA in regulating bottled water is that it is not as strict as the EPA and does not require the annual water quality reports. This sets bottle water up for poorer quality and safety.


Let's dig deeper into the subject of bottled water! Not many people are aware of the fact that the quality of water is less regulated. Some may just think that bottled water is safer or convenient, when the case is the complete opposite. Shouldn't tap water be the convenient distributor of water? The production of bottled water with it's various materials, transportation and large costs should be the categorized far from convenience in our minds.
The environmental impacts of the bottles themselves should sway the common bottled water buyer from further purchasing. According to storyofstuff.org's myths and reality article about bottled water, the bottles themselves can take up to ONE THOUSAND years to degrade in a landfill. Don't want to throw them into a landfill? How about incinerators? The article continues explaining that yucky toxins are released when these bottles are burned. If you wanna check out more about bottled water, check out storyofstuff's video (yay for visual aids!) of the Story of Bottled Water.


While looking for a fancy water picture, I came across Charity: Water. This non-profit organization aims to bring clean water to developing nations around the world. One thing that caught my attention was that they said that 100% of public donations truly goes towards clean water projects. They make sure to take care of any other expenses in order to put their public donations to their aimed tasks. I highly encourage checking them out and consider supporting their aims!

Happy Trending Everyone!

[HW] Let's Talk About Food

Hey Readers!

Don't you just love noshing? Food - a very necessary aspect of our lives. I enjoy all sorts of foods and I'll try anything (at least once, anyway!). I'm pretty fortunate to be able to research one of my favorite food condiments - Nutella! It's hazelnutty goodness in a creamy spread form with that "hint" of wonderful cocoa on that crepe, on that piece of toast, pretzel stick, banana, etc. AH! The thought of it is just making my mouth water. No kidding. Let's look into what Nutella consists of and the environmental impact (and we'll see if it ends up being as good as we remember it being!).

Photo cited: Costo.com

• Nutella, first named Pasta Gianduja, was a product of the rationing that occurred during WWII in the 1940's. A pastry maker by the name of Pietro Ferrero developed the use of hazelnuts with the little cocoa that was available - and BAM - the birth of the early Nutella: the yummy hazelnut spread! It wasn't until 1964 that it would be named Nutella; and not till 1983 would it be imported to the United States.
• Ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals Whey (Milk), Lecithin As Emulsifer (Soy), Vanillin; An Artificial Flavor
• Nutella sold in the United States is manufactured in Canada
• Though Nutella contains no artificial colors or preservatives, and is noted to be a part of a balanced breakfast, everything in moderation! Can I get an amen? But seriously - moderation. 

Ok, now for some details:

Firstly, the ingredients, mainly the palm oil and hazelnuts were of top interest to me. Through dead ends and frustrated stares at my computer screen, I was unable to find out where Nutella gets its hazelnuts (aside from its historical beginnings in Italy...should I venture into a future investigation?). But as for palm oil, I have found abundant sources and plentiful information.  

Palm oil. What is it exactly?  It is a vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruit of the palm (seen below). Palm oil (not to be mistaken by palm kernal oil) has the benefits of giving products a longer shelf life, being tasteless (a desired trait for food usage), and very versatile in its range of uses.  

Palm fruit with visible side view. Photo cited here

 Nutella, according to their FAQs page, resources their palm oil from Malaysia. Though Nutella is a part of RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), an organization promoting controlled palm oil farming, here is a picture of how palm oil is usually harvested (which may still be methods of Nutella brand's supply?) and the environmental impacts:

According to a 2008 article in BCC News titled "Palm oil's carbon benefit queried," science reporter Julian Siddle writes of the harmful process of what palm oil demand has produced. Siddle reports that the demand for palm oil has increased the clearing of tropical forests for palm farming. This destroys natural habitats (disrupts ecosystems), eliminates rare species(both plants and animals), and the method of clearing forests by burning produces more greenhouse gases (Big BooBoo). 

Burning Forests makes environmental issues. Sourced here

On top of the palm oil farming and all the processes it goes through before it is exported to where it can be a vital ingredient in precious Nutella hazelnutty goodness (is it still goodness to you?), the Nutella product itself goes through its own not-so-friendly-to-environment process. From its plastic packaging, to transportation from Canada to the distributors to the stores to our kitchen where we enjoy it, hopefully, within the expiration date without even thinking of the impact it has caused towards the environment near and far from us (still nutty goodness?). 

Taking it a step towards how it affects you physically, Nutella states that it, through moderation, can be a part of a balanced breakfast. But the first two ingredients are sugar and palm oil. The hazelnuts and cocoa (which is what is advertised the most) aren't even the majority of the product! 

Palm oil is a saturated fat but doesn't make cholesterol. According to the Heart MD Institute, these plant fats though good can turn into a bad case toward heart disease if you already have high levels of LDL cholesterol (that's the bad cholesterol) due to saturated fats aiding toward inflammation. In the end, I would much rather have a product that contains most of what it is advertising than what it is not advertising - how about you?

Now that I have a better picture of Nutella (and sorry to burst your happy bubble of blissful Nutella goodness) and what I support by purchasing the product, I have concluded that though it is a MAJOR treat for me - is it just a treat and nothing more. It is not my life source, so I can live without it and indulge in its yumminess on rare occasions. SIGH! C'est la vie, yes? 

Site of the week: Check out Green Palm. Another cool site that I found during my researching. It's purpose is centered around palm oil production and dealing with its social and environmental effects and encourages support of palm oil producers to produce in sustainable methods. 

Getting Involved!

Hey Readers!

I wanted to share with you all something that a big company is doing to help create sustainable lifestyles in and around local towns and cities.

(Hey! Companies!? What do they know about US? 99%! 99%!- OK OK OK! Don't get riled up and try to occupy my blog post. In the words of Stephen Colbert, "Companies are people too.")

And this company you most likely see quite frequently if you need your coffee fix and points towards your gold card.

Yes. I am talking about the good ol', see-you-on-every-corner(but not like that) Starbucks.

This upcoming month of April, Starbucks will be promoting their "Global Month of Service." On their community service site there will be currently are postings of local events near YOU where you can contribute in your service of either leading, following, or even just sharing and promoting the event more around your town and social circles.

Why not take advantage of the wonderful weather that spring supplies (meaning the sunshine and clear skies..not the crazy windy-rain and random snow...) and get out and do something that doesn't necessarily benefit you with the intent to benefit others? Why not? Seriously!

So check out the site, let me know what you think in the comments below, and have a happy Tuesday everyone!


Oh! And I have been increasingly posting things that aren't necessarily "Homework Posts", so to help out my Professor and fellow students, I shall be labeling my homework posts within the title, like the following: [HW]. All other posts will just be random things I spot that pertain to the subject of environmental science that hopefully bring you all interest in making your life more sustainable! And PLEASE feel free to comment with any of your thoughts, suggestions, questions, and the like =) I would very much appreciate it! 

THE green school

After reading my previous post (read here), here's a super duper green school based in Bali. In this video, the founder John Hardy speaks of his upbringing and the order of events that brought about this environmentally conscious school. To learn more, check out the website here