I agree that religious beliefs has caused the development of capitalism, franchises and other orthodox that cause environmental degradation. There are a great deal of religious teachings that still influence decisions today. Even though most people should believe in the right to abortion as a fact, because of Christianity, there are still legislations preventing women from choosing their own major life decisions.
I agree that our concern cannot be serious enough because the environmental damage to our Earth has shown that we value money over health of our planet. It is because profit is tangible, and health is not necessarily something that is immediate. The health of the public also cannot be pinned to any individual to be liable for damages. Decision makers that are responsible for serious diseases contracted by innocent diseases rarely are forced to compensate the victims for their troubles. In any case, if people are truly upset by the repercussions of those that are the greatest polluters and vandals, then more serious actions could be made against them.
Religion has instilled entitlement in us in the sense that we believe that everything on Earth is for our use only. Being on top of the food chain because we have a mind to think with does not necessarily make us more civil or better than other mammals or plants that share this plant with us. We are not given the right to mistreat or misuse plants and animals for our pleasure only, we share this space with them and they have just as much right over this planet as we claim to do. I believe there has to be social change that encourages just social order, guided by common goodness and justice as mentioned by Professor Karam. We can no longer live in a feudalistic society where we discriminate by every means and should form a non-hierarchal structure as it would not only fix the problems in civil society but allow us to address the environmental issues that are caused by our very own hands.
Aldo Leopold, an environmentalist, who was originally assigned to hunt bears, wolves, and mountain lions in New Mexico as they were the cause behind the loss of livestock deaths. Instead he came to realize that this was part of nature and the food chain, by killing one bear or wolf was disturbing the entire food chain and habitat. Leopold developed an ecological ethic which would replace the original wilderness ethic that focused on the need for human dominance. Leopold discovered the balance of nature, and thought that nature was the most just to maintain the predator-prey relationship which is essential in nature.
We shouldn’t have to offer incentives for people to care for the environment; one should just do well for the environment because this is our home. Humans continue to surpass what the Earth’s resources can provide and we cannot just pack our bags and invade another planet. Which is why we need to tackle environmental issues such as global warming, creating clean energy, reviving the Earth’s oceans, preserving endangered wildlife/places, preventing pollution, ensuring clean/sufficient water and developing sustainable communities that reinvest in the land with what they take from it.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Environmentalism may be referred as a movement to control pollution, advocates the preservation, restoration and/or improvement of the natural environment. At its crux, environmentalism is an attempt to balance relations between humans and the various natural systems on which they depend in such a way that all the components are accorded a proper degree of respect. The exact nature of this balance is controversial and there are many different ways for environmental concerns to be expressed in practice. Environmentalism and environmental concerns are often represented by the color green, but this association has been appropriated by the marketing industries and is a key tactic of green washing…Also the color of money is green. I cannot say if capitalism or any religions are the reasons for catastrophic damages on Mother Nature. It is more complex problem than, a consequences from believe or proclamation. Again it is about humans. It is what we do to our communities now that eventually will catch up with us. I agree, we have to free ourselves first to free the nature, but we have to participate in any process instead of waiting on things to be done for us.
While listening to this audio clip, I thought back on the Native Americans and the Great Migration to the West. The Americans believed in "manifest destiny"--that it was their god-given right to expand across the continent. When gold was discovered in California, Americans were able to rush over for the gold and because they had their manifest destiny to protect them. They could justify their presence in the area with this strong "religion". The California Gold Rush resulted in a destruction of the Native Americans' way of life. Byproducts of the prospecting operations killed fish and destroyed their habitats. Native Americans were literally evicted from their homes because, according to the Americans, the Americans owned it all. Disease spread, game was depleted and farming land increased as Native American land decreased. On the plus side, the economy was stimulated positively all around the world. Hooray, more money (for those who succeeded in the gold mining business)!
History has more than its share of examples where religion has resulted in egotism and someone else had to pay the price. It's only in the future that we can create positive examples where religion, or its byproducts, can result in an economy flux without harming the environment. I think we're getting there. It is possible now more than ever to create sustainable businesses and highly unprofitable to create a harmful business for the environment (thanks to the media). Sure, they might exist but their days are limited.
The most interesting part of your entire podcast was when you touched on the damage the environment suffered because of what you referred to as "markets". You then went on to make comments about a culture of affluence. In my opinion, this is where a majority of the world's economic problems stem from. People grew to expect a certain lifestyle, and over-consumption became normal. Instead of a small family eating enough to feed them and keep them from starving, they consumed that of two or three in one night, and wasted whatever they could not consume. People try to avoid speaking the truth, but when it comes down to it, humans have wrecked the environment and devoured the earth's resources in the name of profit. The only way for society to survive is not to simply design sustainable businesses and figure out ways to re-use and recycle things, but instead raise the next generation to understand the impact of their living habits. Society needs to find a way to show the current generation that their habits will only bring about the destruction of civilization.
The comment “capitalism which was the nemesis of a healthy environment metamorph to green capitalism” really intrigued me because it’s hard to believe capitalism can metamorph is green capitalism. Capitalism is an enemy of a healthy environment because capitalism is a system that is only about profit. During the industrial revolution capitalism was growing rapidly and so was the pollution. The air and water pollution in Europe was incredibly high. In 1832 over 20,000 Parisians died in a cholera outbreak, London also experienced similar outbreaks all because of water pollution.
Green capitalism means nature capital or profits exist in nature. Brazil is a country that proves that green capitalism is profitable and eco-friendly. In Paraty Brazil lives by green capitalism in many ways one way is by the fresh food the local restaurants serve. The produce is made from local farms instead of being shipped from city to city. Another way the restaurants help their town by collecting kitchen oil, which causes some major pollution risk to groundwater. Paraty Brazil held workshops and classes that were focused on this type of education so that they could get the city ready for this. It is amazing how capitalism metaporph to green capitalism.
What stuck out to me in this podcast was the idea of religion creating hubris in man. I don't necessarily agree with this. The notion behind religion, from my view, is to humble ourselves and strive to achieve greatness despite our shortcomings. The hubris that you mentioned Professor, I feel comes not only from the society in which we live in and what is passed down from generation to generation but from capitalism in its purest form.
For example, the indigenous natives of North America believes in the power or nature and respected what it did for them; provide shelter, tools and sustenance. In that respect the Native Americans humbled themselves before nature, recognizing that they relied on nature just as much as nature relied on the Native Americans.
Unrestrained capitalism through its design created the mentality of superiority and dominion over a person, business, city, etc. Why does one business earn more revenue than the other, make a better product than the other or have better customer service than the other? The answer; that company is simply better than the other for whatever reason(s). Now, that is not to say that capitalism is bad, but is that and not religion that creates the hubris in man you mentioned.
You have some great points. I do not believe that religion is a part of this but we also have to remember when things were written in the bible they could no foresee what the world would look lie 2000 years ago. There was not any people causing pollution like there is today. We used land as humans that long ago for different reasons and the population of the world was not like it is today.
For me, the most interest concept in this podcast was the creator's intentions for Earth Day and what it has become today. There is no doubt that Earth Day has brought attention to environmental efforts worldwide. I do believe that Senator Gaylord Nelson's intention of providing a forum for people to express their concern about the direction which the earth was evolving has been accomplished in many cities in the U.S. such as Boston Mass., Ashville N.C., Chicago Ill., Los Angeles Cal., Austin Tx, Seattle Wa., Portland Or., San Francisco Cal., Washington D.C., and NYC. However, I have never even heard of the social mission of Earth Day's creators to promote and work towards a just social order that respects people's rights that is guided by the common good. I think the reason this mission has been lost over the years because it is unattainable. Although I would love to have the confidence in this world to see the mission become reality, I do not think there will be a "world that is free of gender, religious, social, racial, ethnic, and sexual exploitation" with no higher archaical structure. I agree that we need to free ourselves form prejudices that dominates our relationships before we can free nature, but I do not think that it is possible for everyone to abide by this. This is world would be a Utopia, which we all know is far from ever happening. Nonetheless, I not think we or the creators of Earth Day are fighting for a lost cause. I think Earth Day should be more centralized. There should be a theme of discussions, research, and discovery each year. Everything should revolve around one issue each year such as rising population or clean waters. All year long we should work up to the sharing of information on this topic. I believe that the only way people create change is if they truly want change. Through the sharing the wealth of knowledge, people will be motivated and educated on the things they can do or the moves they could make to create change with the help of activist and/or legislators. If there is a specific goal for a year I think more would be able to be accomplished worldwide. Topics could be revisited and/or adjusted as the years advance to ensure there is progress being made. You mentioned that it was a shame because "we allowed a revolution to slip away...[because] our concern is not genuine enough". The goals of the activists may not have been clear 42 years ago, but hopefully through the sharing of knowledge worldwide their mission is becoming clearer as the threats of inaction become ever so visible.
You have a great point that we will never free ourselves from prejudices and if we did we would have a Utopia. This would be a hard task to accomplish but a great thing to work towards. I believe Earth Day should stand for something more than it already does. I think if it was pushed more and maybe have some substantial event for this every year we could have something great.
I agree John, I believe that Earth Day's mission has become muddled over the years and it would be amazing to recover the true intentions of it's founders. Now that I am revisiting the thought, though a Utopia will never be possible, it may be power to promote and live as if it were for one day, Earth Day. As this day is built up, awareness rises and passionate individuals will become more motivated to make actual changes in their lives. Even if 100 people are motivated to change each Earth Day, it would make a vast improvement over time for not only the physical environment, but the social one as well.
I agree John, I believe that Earth Day's mission has become muddled over the years and it would be amazing to recover the true intentions of it's founders. Now that I am revisiting the thought, though a Utopia will never be possible, it may be powerful to promote and live as if it were for one day, Earth Day. As this day is built up, awareness rises and passionate individuals will become more motivated to make actual changes in their lives. Even if 100 people are motivated to change each Earth Day worldwide, it would make a vast improvement over time for not only the physical environment, but the social one as well.
After listening to the recording I couldn't help but comment about the issue with capitalism you spoke of. Though captilism is a very profitable economic system, it does have some serious negative impacts on the environment. One is the over consumption of products manufactured here in the united states, and the fact that the people of the United states consume more per capita than any other country in the world. I will also use another real world example to demonstrate the corrupt ways of consumption here in the US. how many pairs of sneakers do we each have. I know I have at least 10 pairs of sneakers in my closet, of which maybe 3 to four I actually wear. We have to stop consuming as much, because most of the products are a waste. That brings up my first solution. Reduce waste consumption here in the US. Think morally, if you know your not going to wear it or eat it don't buy it. My second point is air pollution that is resulting in global warming and health issues. Drivers and company's together should move quickly in using powered cars rather gas operated ones.
This is our planet to take use of, and so, societies must have the responsibility to clean up and take care of it.
I want to make one more point in reference to the professors remarks, and thats about our view of the health of he country. The USA is the land of immigrants. Most of us are from other nations but have found the US to be a land of refuge, and opportunity. But the fact that we do not believe it is truly our homeland, is the reason I believe we mistreat it so much. The reason why we haven't found the right implementations to create a healthier and green economy. For example, the people of France are primarily all of French decent. And so, they have much loyalty and respect for the well being of their homeland. But because we are all from different countries here in the USA, I believe we come here for opportunities but forget to respect is fairly.
I do believe that humans feel this earth is ours and we can do as we please. People can just consume as much as possible even if they waste things. People believe they can pollute because they will not see the negative effects in their life time and they will let generations to come worry about it. I believe we are starting to see these negative effects we thought we wouldn't see. I believe governments and leaders around the world shouldn't just talk about things we can do to help but take further actions. I know we are pushing taxi companies in NYC to be using all hybrids in the next few years which is a good start. Another huge problem I believe is our waste, and landfills that we are just filling up to no end. I encourage my immediate family not use items that would be used once and thrown out. Things like plastic or styrofoam cups and plates, these are things we can avoid by using plates that can be washed. It may be a small part but overtime with a lot of people it could help a part of our environment.
I do believe that humans feel this earth is ours and we can do as we please. People can just consume as much as possible even if they waste things. People believe they can pollute because they will not see the negative effects in their life time and they will let generations to come worry about it. I believe we are starting to see these negative effects we thought we wouldn't see. I believe governments and leaders around the world shouldn't just talk about things we can do to help but take further actions. I know we are pushing taxi companies in NYC to be using all hybrids in the next few years which is a good start. Another huge problem I believe is our waste, and landfills that we are just filling up to no end. I encourage my immediate family not use items that would be used once and thrown out. Things like plastic or styrofoam cups and plates, these are things we can avoid by using plates that can be washed. It may be a small part but overtime with a lot of people it could help a part of our environment.
After listening to the audio recording I wanted to comment on the issue of capitalism. Although without capitalism we would not be living in such comfortable conditions as we are living in at the moment, we have to come to a realization that we have nobody else to blame for the pollution and deterioration of planet earth but ourselves. It is our human wants and needs that have brought us into the terror of extinction of plants and animals, severe pollution and many diseases that we battle to cure today. We wanted to maximize our profits; we did so but we did at the cost of the planets health as well as our own. We created factories that polluted the air, water and destroyed plants. We were never satisfied with what we had and we kept on going for more without thinking of the consequences that our wants could bring us. our demand for certain products has created the supply to boom. People saw an opportunity to make profit and without thinking twice about the future generation did everything they could to provide for the demand adding up to the pollution. It is a very good thing that finally some people started speaking out about the green economy in hope of saving our planet and did not think about profit for once and started certain movements to help and sustain life on earth. In a religious spectrum, i view this planet to be a paradise that God has created for us, we are Adams and Eves of this planet, and the forbidden fruit would be the constant want of more money and dissatisfaction of what we already have. If we keep on dodging our way to the forbidden fruit we are eventually going to get it, and when its all too much we will be forbidden to return to paradise (earth). In a sense if we do not think twice about our needs and our wants and how this can affect the planet and everyone else that inhabits it, we will eventually ruin our home(paradise) to an unreversable state.
Religious views and values have always been a hot point in the environmental movement. It is believed, as said in this audio, that religion is creator of the ‘hubris’ found in man, and has a huge influence over the way we treat our planet and resources. I believe that our arrogant, greedy ways come from a solid mix between both the religious and societal factors. Over time, many different religions have created hierarchies, where we reign over the earth and other living beings. The idea that the earth is here for us, and our using is one that has caused this ‘hubris’ attitude when it comes to the environment. But it is a social change that is needed to make headway for environmentalism, whether it is controlling use of resources, stopping pollution or attempting to live more sustainably. This change would have to be a complete change of consciousness and a rewiring of the way we, as humans, view the earth. We would need to recognize that this planet and its resources are not here for us to use up at whatever rate we please, and that we are to share this planet with plants and animals not reign over them and treat them as having no soul or real purpose. Another huge issue is that people think that if they live as they please now, with ecological footprints as large as 4 to 6 planets per person, then the future generations to come will have to deal with it. The mindset we should have is that we are here to make sure that our future generations are gifted with the same earth and resources that we are, not that we are to hand off our ecological degradation and depletion to them to figure out in generations to come.
I agree that religious beliefs has caused the development of capitalism, franchises and other orthodox that cause environmental degradation. There are a great deal of religious teachings that still influence decisions today. Even though most people should believe in the right to abortion as a fact, because of Christianity, there are still legislations preventing women from choosing their own major life decisions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our concern cannot be serious enough because the environmental damage to our Earth has shown that we value money over health of our planet. It is because profit is tangible, and health is not necessarily something that is immediate. The health of the public also cannot be pinned to any individual to be liable for damages. Decision makers that are responsible for serious diseases contracted by innocent diseases rarely are forced to compensate the victims for their troubles. In any case, if people are truly upset by the repercussions of those that are the greatest polluters and vandals, then more serious actions could be made against them.
Religion has instilled entitlement in us in the sense that we believe that everything on Earth is for our use only. Being on top of the food chain because we have a mind to think with does not necessarily make us more civil or better than other mammals or plants that share this plant with us. We are not given the right to mistreat or misuse plants and animals for our pleasure only, we share this space with them and they have just as much right over this planet as we claim to do. I believe there has to be social change that encourages just social order, guided by common goodness and justice as mentioned by Professor Karam. We can no longer live in a feudalistic society where we discriminate by every means and should form a non-hierarchal structure as it would not only fix the problems in civil society but allow us to address the environmental issues that are caused by our very own hands.
ReplyDeleteAldo Leopold, an environmentalist, who was originally assigned to hunt bears, wolves, and mountain lions in New Mexico as they were the cause behind the loss of livestock deaths. Instead he came to realize that this was part of nature and the food chain, by killing one bear or wolf was disturbing the entire food chain and habitat. Leopold developed an ecological ethic which would replace the original wilderness ethic that focused on the need for human dominance. Leopold discovered the balance of nature, and thought that nature was the most just to maintain the predator-prey relationship which is essential in nature.
We shouldn’t have to offer incentives for people to care for the environment; one should just do well for the environment because this is our home. Humans continue to surpass what the Earth’s resources can provide and we cannot just pack our bags and invade another planet. Which is why we need to tackle environmental issues such as global warming, creating clean energy, reviving the Earth’s oceans, preserving endangered wildlife/places, preventing pollution, ensuring clean/sufficient water and developing sustainable communities that reinvest in the land with what they take from it.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Environmentalism may be referred as a movement to control pollution, advocates the preservation, restoration and/or improvement of the natural environment. At its crux, environmentalism is an attempt to balance relations between humans and the various natural systems on which they depend in such a way that all the components are accorded a proper degree of respect. The exact nature of this balance is controversial and there are many different ways for environmental concerns to be expressed in practice. Environmentalism and environmental concerns are often represented by the color green, but this association has been appropriated by the marketing industries and is a key tactic of green washing…Also the color of money is green. I cannot say if capitalism or any religions are the reasons for catastrophic damages on Mother Nature. It is more complex problem than, a consequences from believe or proclamation. Again it is about humans. It is what we do to our communities now that eventually will catch up with us. I agree, we have to free ourselves first to free the nature, but we have to participate in any process instead of waiting on things to be done for us.
ReplyDeleteWhile listening to this audio clip, I thought back on the Native Americans and the Great Migration to the West. The Americans believed in "manifest destiny"--that it was their god-given right to expand across the continent. When gold was discovered in California, Americans were able to rush over for the gold and because they had their manifest destiny to protect them. They could justify their presence in the area with this strong "religion". The California Gold Rush resulted in a destruction of the Native Americans' way of life. Byproducts of the prospecting operations killed fish and destroyed their habitats. Native Americans were literally evicted from their homes because, according to the Americans, the Americans owned it all. Disease spread, game was depleted and farming land increased as Native American land decreased. On the plus side, the economy was stimulated positively all around the world. Hooray, more money (for those who succeeded in the gold mining business)!
ReplyDeleteHistory has more than its share of examples where religion has resulted in egotism and someone else had to pay the price. It's only in the future that we can create positive examples where religion, or its byproducts, can result in an economy flux without harming the environment. I think we're getting there. It is possible now more than ever to create sustainable businesses and highly unprofitable to create a harmful business for the environment (thanks to the media). Sure, they might exist but their days are limited.
Posted by: Geordi Taylor
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting part of your entire podcast was when you touched on the damage the environment suffered because of what you referred to as "markets". You then went on to make comments about a culture of affluence. In my opinion, this is where a majority of the world's economic problems stem from. People grew to expect a certain lifestyle, and over-consumption became normal. Instead of a small family eating enough to feed them and keep them from starving, they consumed that of two or three in one night, and wasted whatever they could not consume. People try to avoid speaking the truth, but when it comes down to it, humans have wrecked the environment and devoured the earth's resources in the name of profit. The only way for society to survive is not to simply design sustainable businesses and figure out ways to re-use and recycle things, but instead raise the next generation to understand the impact of their living habits. Society needs to find a way to show the current generation that their habits will only bring about the destruction of civilization.
The comment “capitalism which was the nemesis of a healthy environment metamorph to green capitalism” really intrigued me because it’s hard to believe capitalism can metamorph is green capitalism. Capitalism is an enemy of a healthy environment because capitalism is a system that is only about profit. During the industrial revolution capitalism was growing rapidly and so was the pollution. The air and water pollution in Europe was incredibly high. In 1832 over 20,000 Parisians died in a cholera outbreak, London also experienced similar outbreaks all because of water pollution.
ReplyDeleteGreen capitalism means nature capital or profits exist in nature. Brazil is a country that proves that green capitalism is profitable and eco-friendly. In Paraty Brazil lives by green capitalism in many ways one way is by the fresh food the local restaurants serve. The produce is made from local farms instead of being shipped from city to city. Another way the restaurants help their town by collecting kitchen oil, which causes some major pollution risk to groundwater. Paraty Brazil held workshops and classes that were focused on this type of education so that they could get the city ready for this. It is amazing how capitalism metaporph to green capitalism.
http://www.eh-resources.org/timeline/timeline_industrial.html
http://www.mercatrade.com/blog/brazil-boosts-sustainable-tourism
What stuck out to me in this podcast was the idea of religion creating hubris in man. I don't necessarily agree with this. The notion behind religion, from my view, is to humble ourselves and strive to achieve greatness despite our shortcomings. The hubris that you mentioned Professor, I feel comes not only from the society in which we live in and what is passed down from generation to generation but from capitalism in its purest form.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the indigenous natives of North America believes in the power or nature and respected what it did for them; provide shelter, tools and sustenance. In that respect the Native Americans humbled themselves before nature, recognizing that they relied on nature just as much as nature relied on the Native Americans.
Unrestrained capitalism through its design created the mentality of superiority and dominion over a person, business, city, etc. Why does one business earn more revenue than the other, make a better product than the other or have better customer service than the other? The answer; that company is simply better than the other for whatever reason(s). Now, that is not to say that capitalism is bad, but is that and not religion that creates the hubris in man you mentioned.
You have some great points. I do not believe that religion is a part of this but we also have to remember when things were written in the bible they could no foresee what the world would look lie 2000 years ago. There was not any people causing pollution like there is today. We used land as humans that long ago for different reasons and the population of the world was not like it is today.
DeleteFor me, the most interest concept in this podcast was the creator's intentions for Earth Day and what it has become today. There is no doubt that Earth Day has brought attention to environmental efforts worldwide. I do believe that Senator Gaylord Nelson's intention of providing a forum for people to express their concern about the direction which the earth was evolving has been accomplished in many cities in the U.S. such as Boston Mass., Ashville N.C., Chicago Ill., Los Angeles Cal., Austin Tx, Seattle Wa., Portland Or., San Francisco Cal., Washington D.C., and NYC. However, I have never even heard of the social mission of Earth Day's creators to promote and work towards a just social order that respects people's rights that is guided by the common good. I think the reason this mission has been lost over the years because it is unattainable. Although I would love to have the confidence in this world to see the mission become reality, I do not think there will be a "world that is free of gender, religious, social, racial, ethnic, and sexual exploitation" with no higher archaical structure. I agree that we need to free ourselves form prejudices that dominates our relationships before we can free nature, but I do not think that it is possible for everyone to abide by this. This is world would be a Utopia, which we all know is far from ever happening.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I not think we or the creators of Earth Day are fighting for a lost cause. I think Earth Day should be more centralized. There should be a theme of discussions, research, and discovery each year. Everything should revolve around one issue each year such as rising population or clean waters. All year long we should work up to the sharing of information on this topic. I believe that the only way people create change is if they truly want change. Through the sharing the wealth of knowledge, people will be motivated and educated on the things they can do or the moves they could make to create change with the help of activist and/or legislators. If there is a specific goal for a year I think more would be able to be accomplished worldwide. Topics could be revisited and/or adjusted as the years advance to ensure there is progress being made. You mentioned that it was a shame because "we allowed a revolution to slip away...[because] our concern is not genuine enough". The goals of the activists may not have been clear 42 years ago, but hopefully through the sharing of knowledge worldwide their mission is becoming clearer as the threats of inaction become ever so visible.
You have a great point that we will never free ourselves from prejudices and if we did we would have a Utopia. This would be a hard task to accomplish but a great thing to work towards. I believe Earth Day should stand for something more than it already does. I think if it was pushed more and maybe have some substantial event for this every year we could have something great.
DeleteI agree John, I believe that Earth Day's mission has become muddled over the years and it would be amazing to recover the true intentions of it's founders. Now that I am revisiting the thought, though a Utopia will never be possible, it may be power to promote and live as if it were for one day, Earth Day. As this day is built up, awareness rises and passionate individuals will become more motivated to make actual changes in their lives. Even if 100 people are motivated to change each Earth Day, it would make a vast improvement over time for not only the physical environment, but the social one as well.
DeleteI agree John, I believe that Earth Day's mission has become muddled over the years and it would be amazing to recover the true intentions of it's founders. Now that I am revisiting the thought, though a Utopia will never be possible, it may be powerful to promote and live as if it were for one day, Earth Day. As this day is built up, awareness rises and passionate individuals will become more motivated to make actual changes in their lives. Even if 100 people are motivated to change each Earth Day worldwide, it would make a vast improvement over time for not only the physical environment, but the social one as well.
DeleteAfter listening to the recording I couldn't help but comment about the issue with capitalism you spoke of. Though captilism is a very profitable economic system, it does have some serious negative impacts on the environment. One is the over consumption of products manufactured here in the united states, and the fact that the people of the United states consume more per capita than any other country in the world. I will also use another real world example to demonstrate the corrupt ways of consumption here in the US. how many pairs of sneakers do we each have. I know I have at least 10 pairs of sneakers in my closet, of which maybe 3 to four I actually wear. We have to stop consuming as much, because most of the products are a waste. That brings up my first solution. Reduce waste consumption here in the US. Think morally, if you know your not going to wear it or eat it don't buy it. My second point is air pollution that is resulting in global warming and health issues. Drivers and company's together should move quickly in using powered cars rather gas operated ones.
ReplyDeleteThis is our planet to take use of, and so, societies must have the responsibility to clean up and take care of it.
I want to make one more point in reference to the professors remarks, and thats about our view of the health of he country. The USA is the land of immigrants. Most of us are from other nations but have found the US to be a land of refuge, and opportunity. But the fact that we do not believe it is truly our homeland, is the reason I believe we mistreat it so much. The reason why we haven't found the right implementations to create a healthier and green economy. For example, the people of France are primarily all of French decent. And so, they have much loyalty and respect for the well being of their homeland. But because we are all from different countries here in the USA, I believe we come here for opportunities but forget to respect is fairly.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that humans feel this earth is ours and we can do as we please. People can just consume as much as possible even if they waste things. People believe they can pollute because they will not see the negative effects in their life time and they will let generations to come worry about it. I believe we are starting to see these negative effects we thought we wouldn't see. I believe governments and leaders around the world shouldn't just talk about things we can do to help but take further actions. I know we are pushing taxi companies in NYC to be using all hybrids in the next few years which is a good start. Another huge problem I believe is our waste, and landfills that we are just filling up to no end. I encourage my immediate family not use items that would be used once and thrown out. Things like plastic or styrofoam cups and plates, these are things we can avoid by using plates that can be washed. It may be a small part but overtime with a lot of people it could help a part of our environment.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that humans feel this earth is ours and we can do as we please. People can just consume as much as possible even if they waste things. People believe they can pollute because they will not see the negative effects in their life time and they will let generations to come worry about it. I believe we are starting to see these negative effects we thought we wouldn't see. I believe governments and leaders around the world shouldn't just talk about things we can do to help but take further actions. I know we are pushing taxi companies in NYC to be using all hybrids in the next few years which is a good start. Another huge problem I believe is our waste, and landfills that we are just filling up to no end. I encourage my immediate family not use items that would be used once and thrown out. Things like plastic or styrofoam cups and plates, these are things we can avoid by using plates that can be washed. It may be a small part but overtime with a lot of people it could help a part of our environment.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to the audio recording I wanted to comment on the issue of capitalism. Although without capitalism we would not be living in such comfortable conditions as we are living in at the moment, we have to come to a realization that we have nobody else to blame for the pollution and deterioration of planet earth but ourselves. It is our human wants and needs that have brought us into the terror of extinction of plants and animals, severe pollution and many diseases that we battle to cure today. We wanted to maximize our profits; we did so but we did at the cost of the planets health as well as our own. We created factories that polluted the air, water and destroyed plants. We were never satisfied with what we had and we kept on going for more without thinking of the consequences that our wants could bring us. our demand for certain products has created the supply to boom. People saw an opportunity to make profit and without thinking twice about the future generation did everything they could to provide for the demand adding up to the pollution. It is a very good thing that finally some people started speaking out about the green economy in hope of saving our planet and did not think about profit for once and started certain movements to help and sustain life on earth.
ReplyDeleteIn a religious spectrum, i view this planet to be a paradise that God has created for us, we are Adams and Eves of this planet, and the forbidden fruit would be the constant want of more money and dissatisfaction of what we already have. If we keep on dodging our way to the forbidden fruit we are eventually going to get it, and when its all too much we will be forbidden to return to paradise (earth). In a sense if we do not think twice about our needs and our wants and how this can affect the planet and everyone else that inhabits it, we will eventually ruin our home(paradise) to an unreversable state.
Religious views and values have always been a hot point in the environmental movement. It is believed, as said in this audio, that religion is creator of the ‘hubris’ found in man, and has a huge influence over the way we treat our planet and resources. I believe that our arrogant, greedy ways come from a solid mix between both the religious and societal factors. Over time, many different religions have created hierarchies, where we reign over the earth and other living beings. The idea that the earth is here for us, and our using is one that has caused this ‘hubris’ attitude when it comes to the environment. But it is a social change that is needed to make headway for environmentalism, whether it is controlling use of resources, stopping pollution or attempting to live more sustainably. This change would have to be a complete change of consciousness and a rewiring of the way we, as humans, view the earth. We would need to recognize that this planet and its resources are not here for us to use up at whatever rate we please, and that we are to share this planet with plants and animals not reign over them and treat them as having no soul or real purpose. Another huge issue is that people think that if they live as they please now, with ecological footprints as large as 4 to 6 planets per person, then the future generations to come will have to deal with it. The mindset we should have is that we are here to make sure that our future generations are gifted with the same earth and resources that we are, not that we are to hand off our ecological degradation and depletion to them to figure out in generations to come.
ReplyDelete- Virginia MacDougall