Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JTJNSC9

Survey results

I have posted a survey on Facebook. I got a lot of feedback that I could work with.

Coast Salish People

This article by Micheal Marker is about the Coast Salish people. Coast Salish people are Native Americans who live northwestern United States and the southwestern part of Canada. They are considered to be one group of people today however they came under attack at one point, which separated them into two tribes. Governments have been trying to assimilate the Salish people in order to destroy their common connections. Their attempts have included schools, which strip children from their native culture. The article ends explaining how Coast Salish people are trying to re-claim their rights and eliminate discrimination. 

Article PDF: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=25dbaf9c-5a1d-43a4-9511-acc2d48d6b4f%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=116

Fracking

To summrize fracking, it is basically done in three steps. The first step is perforation An electric current is sent via wire to a perferating gun. The charge shoots small holes through the cement and a short distance into the shale. Step two, fracturing is exactly what it sounds like rocks are compressed and must be fractured to draw out natural gas. At this point fracking fluid is sent into the rocks for them to crack. In the final step the rocks are now cracked hence gas can pass through them. 
Fracking is a controversial issue in the US although it is a great source of natrual reasources it comes with great risks. Today fracking sites are being put near college campuses and residual areas. 

Global Warming

This artifact is a simple glimpse of how global warming, something mainly caused by humans is affecting the environment. While we continue to diffuse toxins into our air temperatures continue to rise hence causing ice to melt. This does get ride of our waste however it creates a problem for these bears for their homes are disappearing. 

EPA: Natural Gas Fracking Linked to Water Contamination

The article written by Abrahm Lustgarten , Nicholas Kusnetz and ProPublica is shedding light on the possibility that fracking or  hydraulic fracturing is playing a major role in water pollution. Fracking is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth.

In Pavilion Wyo, 10 fluid compounds were found in gas wells, these fluid compounds are called fracking liquids and are part of the fracking process. The finding of these fluids has sparked up a lot of controversy first with the drilling industry. For they had previously claimed that fracking does no harm and is ‘safe’ “that hydrologic pressure would naturally force fluids down, not up; that deep geologic layers provide a watertight barrier preventing the movement of chemicals towards the surface.” The fracking fluids contradict their statement for the fluids appeared in gas wells instead of going down as they were supposed to.

Environmental advocates haven taken this information as an opportunity to re-spark the debate about federal laws concerning hydraulic fracking. Amy Marshall a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council says that stronger rules need to be implied for the recent 121-page report it is obvious that there are consequences occurring due to fracking. On the other side of the argument is EnCana a spokesman for the gas wells in Pavilion says that the fluid build up is not because of fracking is due to a natural cause.

This new information is not only creating debates between environmentalist and CEOs it is becoming a heated debate in congress. The congress is not considering new regulation to further regulate fracking. The EPAs final draft report will be ready in the spring and undergo intense public review, until then everything will remain unclear on whether or not fracking will have more rules or if it will continue to pollute our drinking water.  

Is it just a backpack?

This backpack is made of crocodile, its from the Mary Kate and Ashley clothing line. Some would say this is a fairly nice back but people are also shocked when the hear the price of it. At 35,000 US dollars this belly crocodile skin backpack is yours. This image is an example of visual rhetoric because it is portraying how cruel fashion can be. The backpack shows how animal skins are used for fashion, and not only that but items are priced so expensively that essentially only a small percentage would actually purchase such items. 

Turtle Island 3

In most of Gary Snyder he seems to always go back to the notion of nature and man. The poems also focus on how mankind is using up natural resources in an unsustainable manner. Bioregionalism is basically defined as the preservation of various bioregions by preserving them from mankind. Both the poems of Turtle Island and Bioregionalism work towards the same 'goal'. They both seem to have the same general idea, which today is advertised as 'Go Green'.

Turtle Island 2

After reading an array of Gary Snyder’s Turtle Island poems it is clear that he feels there needs to be major change made in the way people go about unconsciously infecting the environment. With only have read a handful it is hard to determine whether Turtle Island is a pessimistic or optimistic book. For some of his poems like The Use of Light they are whimsical and light while some convey darker imagery and deeper meaning. One that stuck out to me the most was Mother Earth: Her Whales, this is an example of a poem where Snyder shows how the destruction of humans was and still affecting our resources. Overall Turtle Island’s poems all show a connection between man and nature. 

Turtle Island 1

It has become obvious that Gary Snyder observes nature and human interactions within it. Snyder's poems are usually about criticizing the way we live and utilize the resources we have around us. Gary Snyder writes poems that are either embracing nature and all its beauty or portray nature in a very dark manner. In the poem "The Dead by the Side of the Road" he writes about something we see almost everyday, roadkill. Like this poem, many of Snyder's poems are very literal and in my opinion are write to create awareness amongst communities. 

McKibben Bioregional Quiz

McKibben talks about very important points concerning the environment. He especially brings up points on how humans will make mother nature crash. Like in Turtle Island and Island Civilization the texts eventually come to the point that something serious has to be done or there will be no more life on planet Earth. McKibben in his argument talks about how the earth is not the same planet it was 30 years ago. Earth today has changed into a completely different place; a place that is on the verge of catastrophe due to our own actions. The basic problem is there is too many people and not even resources. 

Marine Pollution

From the rappers of our lunch to the chemicals we use to kill bugs, almost all of the waste we produce on land eventually finds its way floating in our oceans. Pollution is the number one marine problem today, with 80% of marine waste being from land-based activities people start to consider  “Island Civilization” as a solution.

As one national geographic article claims, the ocean has been suffering from the hands of mankind millennia, as far back as Roman times. Nonetheless research has recently showed that the damage made over the last 60 years is vast worse than all the previous years combined.

The problem is getting worse every year, due to other factors other than garbage being dumped into the waters but factors such as oil spills and noise pollution. Pollution is not always physical ships, earthquakes and sonar devices carry sound waves for miles, which offset migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns for many marine animals.  

The theory of “Island Civilization” would benefit this environmental issue because every household would be held responsible for their own waste. Hence building a more sustainable community. Most responsibility would be upon those settlements near the shores for they’d be condemned if the oceans got polluted. That’s a perfect scenario of course.

The place that would befit the most from the prevention of marine pollution are all the islands around the world. The floating garbage, contaminated water and poisonous marine life will eventually pollute these small pieces of land. Places like Easter Island, Alcatraz also known as the Prison Island and Greenland amongst many other places.

Source: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/

Island Civilization

Our planet with the current patterns in which we live today will in time destroyed in time. Current generations do not think of the distant future i.e future generations. The furthest an average person would plan out their future is about 3 years down the road. Island Civilization brings out the point, that mankind does not see itself as a group but rather as individuals that do not play large roles. This ideology is what results in the consequences clearly seen today in our environment. The idea of Island Civilization is one that is bizarre, and seems to be rather impossible. It will cause much controversy, but in the long run it will lead to a lasting planet Earth. Saving the planet, after the trends and behaviors that humans have set is the hardest obstacle for mankind.

Island Civilization talks about how the relationship between man and nature has changed in major ways over time. Before the term wilderness did not exist. This term became part of our vocabulary when people started to divide themselves. Flattening out land and building sky scrappers means success for mankind today. As time progressed the way humans viewed nature began to change and develop proportional to technology advancements. During the time period in which Island Civilization compares today to, people were able to the beauty and enjoinment which, wilderness held within. This helped the arguments for the preservation of the wilderness. The humans’ perspective of wilderness changed yet again when they viewed it as an equivalent. Wilderness is a natural part of life hence it should be preserved in order to obtain sustainable living.

           

Overall, Island Civilization means removing new technologies put into the wilderness. This theory would mean that, our homes could be on poles in the mountains in order not to disturb the natural settings.  

           

I believe that motivation is an important ingredient for any change that is going to be made for our environment. Humans cannot save the earth and ‘go green’ unless they can see why they must do so. This is were education can help, raising awareness will induce people to make change. Even if it is a small change that only affect their own space, its still a step forward. Also civilization needs to further understand their affect on the wilderness and learn how to live lives that will allow them to maintain a modern lifestyle while still being sustainable.

Island Civilization is an extreme take to the problem, however it is a solution in the right direction. Its rigorous approach itself makes people interested. I do not think Island Civilization will work; however I do believe that it is making people more aware of their actions. There are much less extreme alternatives that would allow mankind to continue on a comfortable lifestyle whilst adopt new behaviors and actions. New living behaviors will slowly start to restoration process.