Survey Results

My survey is on whether web-based alcohol prevention programs like AlcoholEdu are effective in raising awareness about the negative side effects of college drinking, and reducing alcohol consumption among college students.

So far only four people have completed the survey, however out of the four, all have supported my hypothesis. When asked whether AlcoholEdu is effective in reducing alcohol consumption among college students ever survey taker answered no. Its important to note that "Somewhat" was an answer choice.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_Responses.aspx?sm=ny%2bfv2yWFivKPisr7p4rYs%2fg2%2fOXbXeCGmI4iCCTg5I%3d

Indigenous Resistance and Racist Schooling on the Borders of Empires: Coast Salish Cultural Survival

In “Indigenous Resistance and Racist Schooling on the Borders of Empires: Coast Salish Cultural Survival”, Michael Marker brings to light the destruction of the natives culture when Europeans came to America; more specifically the separation of the Coast Salish people who inhabited the bored between the USA and Canada.

Because of these artificial boundaries now placed on the land the Coast Salish people first inhabited, the sharing of culture became increasingly difficult. However, unlike many natives who fell victim to the assimilation of the Europeans the Coastal Salish people fought back. They rebelled against the Europeans educational systems when they placed the Coastal Salish kids into public and private schools and slowly tried to remove their indigenous culture. The natives were able to retain parts of their culture through rituals and ceremonies. 

Sustainable food at Warren Wilson College

I called my brother on Wednesday to wish him a happy birthday. At the time I was thinking about my homework assignment, and I remembered that the school he graduated from, Warren Wilson College was very progressive in environmentally friendly ways of living. I did some research on their website and found this information about their Dining Services,

“Food Alliance
Food Alliance certified foods are produced in season by local farmers including green and red peppers, green beans, sweet corn, squash, apples, apple cider and potatoes.

For the past several years, Sodexho has sought to utilize local and regional farmers and producers for procuring in-season products for its operations nationwide, making sustainable goods available to its customers at campuses, schools, health care facilities, and corporate accounts, with units receiving up to 40 percent of their produce from local growers.

In order for farmers to meet Food Alliance standards for production of sustainable items, they must agree not to use genetically modified products, cannot utilize hormones or fee additive antibiotics in livestock production practices designed to reduce pesticides, conserve water and protect the soil, operate in a manner that protects adjacent wildlife habits, and offer safe and fair working conditions for their employees.”

http://www.warrenwilsondining.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=33

http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~elc/sustainability/food_systems.php

Environmental Ethics Artifact

                The “artifact” that I discovered that deals with Environmental Ethics is the Spotted Owl of the Pacific Northwest.

            For hundreds of years the northern spotted owl, a dark brown owl with white spots, has inhabited the “old-growth” forests (forests that have aged for long a time without disturbance therefore exhibiting unique characteristics) of the Pacific Northwest. The northern spotted owl feeds off the plant life created by fallen and decaying timber on the forest floor, and lay their nests inside these old trees. However, the timber that serves as home for these owls is also the primary source of timber for the multi-billion dollar logging industry. According to a study by Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez over the last 150 years, only 10% of the forests remain because of the heavy logging. Paired with the declining forest is the decline of spotted owls, and scientists estimate only 2000 pairs survive today.

            This is a tough issue and a perfect example of the dilemma of Environmental Ethics. On one hand is the protection of these animals and their habitats and on the other is the means of making a living for loggers and their families.  However, I think that we have to look at the overall picture. Spotted owls are a very important species and are considered indicator species; they serve as a gauge how healthy an ecosystem is. The declines of the spotted owls indicate the demise of other species like elk and flying squirrel. It is vital to the whole web of interdependent relationships that the forests are maintained.

            Loggers should strive to develop new ways of obtaining the necessary timber (if that’s possible), or create new jobs in place of their old ones.

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n1/homepage.html

Environmental Ethics

The “artifact” that I happened to discover is actually a person named Holmes Rolston.

Holmes Rolston is a distinguished professor of Philosophy at Colorado State University, and he is best known for writing Environmental Ethics. In the book Holmes describes Environmental Ethics as,” a systematic account of values carried by the natural world, coupled with an inquiry into duties toward animals, plants, species, and ecosystems.” Holmes is a leading motivator in encouraging people to think about environmental ethics. In his book he uses actual examples of ethical decisions in encounters with nature; Encounters with plant life, endangered species, and threatened Eco systems. He also applies his theory of Environmental ethics to social, public, and business policy.

          It is important that more people adopt the philosophies of Holmes Rolston and become better stewards of the planet. If consumer society begins to view nature in a moral way—consuming and using resources in ways that is harmful to nature and people—then society can work towards being more sustainable and living in harmony with nature instead of leaching of it’s resources.

More on Fracking

After reading the Scientific American article on Fracking, it got me more interested in the reasons why fracking is harmful to people and the environment. It is a widely accepted conception that obtaining natural gas from shale is a cleaner alternative when compared to oil and coal. However, after doing some research, it is apparent that many refute this assertion.

            One of the large risks with fracking is the increased technology needed to extract gas from shale. On average 20 million liters of water are forced into each well coupled with large quantities of sand to keep the fissures from closing. After the fissures are opened acids, bioacids, scale inhibitors, friction reducers, and surfactants are forced down the wells. This is extrememly dangerous because many of these additives are toxix, carcinogenic, and mutagenic. Also, around one-fifth of the fracking fluid flows back up the well to the surfuce in the first two weeks increasing over the wells exsistence. Natural salts, heavy metals, and radioactive materials are also extracted from the shale and rise to the surface where it is collected in open pits or large tanks until disposed of.

All these chemicals extracted from the shale are detrimental to the health and eco-systems of humans. It is crucial we find ways for these harmful agents not return to the surface.  By upgrading old piplines and storage systems and applying better technology for capturing the gas in the 2 week period after fracking we can prevent these chemicals from returning to the surface.

 

Scientific American Article

Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz recently published an article to Scientific American about the link between underground water pollution and hydraulic fracturing. The article has caused a stir in the in the community and is coming off a 121 page report put out by the Environmental Protection Agency that connects water contamination found in 10 compounds  near Pavillion, Wyoming with Hydraulic Fracturing.  According to the article this could end a longstanding debate about whether contamination is being caused by fracking and could change the way government regulates natural gas resources.

For those who don’t know Hydraulic Fracturing or “fracking” is the act of drilling into the Earth in order to create fissures or veins where natural gas can be released. According to the article, “Some of the findings in the report also directly contradict longstanding arguments by the drilling industry for why the fracking process 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; and that the problems with the cement and steel barriers around gas wells aren't connected to fracking.”

In my opinion there are obvious risks that can be concluded about fracking. This article alone provides enough evidence for me to believe this assertion—especially after reading that residents water turned brown shortly after gas wells were fracked nearby. The overall debate comes down to more than just this particular case in Pavillion, Wyoming. Despite the overwhelming evidence some people, like Republican Sen. James Inhofe from Oklahoma, continue to dismiss the acquisitions and even goes as far as to call the EPA’s report offensive.

I believe that in order to stifle the debates about fracking and natural gas in general there has to be a fundamental break from our dependency on it. Until then, the beneficiaries of  fracking and other ways of extracting natural gases will continue to fight the EPA because their business is to strong.