Green Building presentation

In the Green Building presentation that my group did I forgot to mention a bit on a new type of sustainable sewage system called Reed Bed. Below are my notes from my power point presenation:

§Reconstructions of freshwater wetland ecosystems to treat wastewater. Used with pre-existing settling or septic tank to treat liquid waste

§Land-intensive but highly energy efficient, inexpensive, low maintenance, aesthetically appealing and create natural habitat for wildlife

§Clean water can be used to water landscapes or crops but is not suitable for drinking water

§A typical cost for single house is between 3,000 and 7,000 pounds

 

Grizzly Man

When the movie first started off I had an open mind but as the movie wore on I got very cynical of the main character. Keeping in mind that the way the movie was created may have shaped his character I just could not take him seriously. He claimed to be protecting the bears but all I saw was the harm he was doing to them. By domesticating the foxes he sentenced them to death. That was selfish of him. He wanted to be one with nature and in turn he helped destroy it. Those foxes are going to have a false sense of security around humans and will be an easy target to the hunters. Same goes for the bears.

When he re-arranged the stream to let it flow better he was messing with nature. It was clear from then on (if not earlier) that he had no clue what he was doing. Even clearer than that, he was mentally ill. He experienced mood episodes, was delusional, and paranoid. This film could be shown in a psychology class as a demonstration of bipolar. The messages that he found on the rocks I suspect were written by himself. I don't think he knew they were written by him, because he was so out of it, but I think they were a product of his insanity.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice tackles several questions that people ask. One is, "Who owns this land?" another, "Who is responsible for this land?" It used to be that no one would ask these questions. There was no concept of private property. The Earth was available to all and it was there for humans to live with it (note that I didn't say use it). Everyone had a responsibility for the well-being of the Earth. Now, we need to take responsibility for our Earth. The article on environmental waste last class talked about how companies are paying Native American's to let them store their hazardous waste on their land. Those companies are shrugging off their destruction onto another people, potentially putting them in harms way.

"Into the Wild"

Into the Wild is about Alexander "Supertramp's" quest to live in the wild. He becomes a tramp, abandoning his car and burning his money. He hitchhikes through America with few possessions and lives off of the kindness of others. His goal is to make it to Alaska where he will live in and off of the "wild." He does so successfully for a few months but eats something poisonous and dies.

Its very brave for Alex to do what he did. He was prepared for the wild but when one is hungry there's only so much that can be done to help them. He was bound to die because no one knew where he was, and he hadn't explored the area where he was going to live.

Because there are so few untouched places in America it will be difficult to truly live in the wild. There aren't many people who would be willing to give up everything and burn their money. As Alex said, humans are too invested in the material things they have acquired. We have been given everything we need to survive and there is little need for us to provide any of it for ourselves. I would be ill-prepared to live off in the wild as would many people. But people used to do it. People used to live off of the planet and only take what they needed to. To live with nature is to live with harmony. We exploit nature, we do not live off of it.

There were many presentations today at the Avon Hills conference, one of which was on Geothermal energy. When I was in my first few years of high school I did a project on that so I had a very light background going into the session. The talk was presented by a Geothermal provider native to MN. Geothermal energy works many ways. One way is by drawing water from underneath the ground up to the building. The water from the ground heats the building and when the water leaves it takes with it the cold from the building. I was concerned about the amount of water that is used but the speaker assured me that the water is recycled. However, I doubt that it can be used as drinking water after the fact.

There are several types of pumps. Two of which are:

• Forced air pumps, which work from water to air
• Hydronic pumps which is water to water and takes the heat from the ground, like I described above.

I have friends from back home who installed solar panels on their roof and use that as their main source of energy. Though expensive to install the money they save is well worth it and it is a earth-friendly way to harness energy. Geothermal heating and cooling is also good for our earth. The state of MN will pay for parts of the installation of geothermal pumps and, like solar panels, geothermal energy essentially pays for itself with the savings you incur.

In the exhibit room there was a booth for the Master Naturalists of MN. It's mission is to "promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of MN's natural environment." It's basically nature's version of the peace corps. Master Naturalists complete and long, hands on course studying natural history, environmental interpretation, and conservation stewardship. They also complete 40 hours of volunteer service. What makes the degree even more awesome is that you have the title of "Master Naturalist" (no longer a title reserved only for the most evil Timelord in the universe.)

The Cove

It's one thing to hear "Save the Dolphin!" over and over again by people holding signs and asking for signatures. It's another to see what is happening to make those people fight for the animals. I'm usually very wary around "animal-huggers." I'm a lover of animals but I don't go to the extremes that groups like PETA do. It used to be that animals were either pets or foods to me. But recently that has changed. A while ago I stopped eating beef because of the terrible impact the production has on our environment. I'm not going to stop eating meat all together but I will do small things like beef to do my part to better our world.

"The Cove" had a quote similar to this one I stumbled upon, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” --Margaret Mead

What she said is true, it takes just one person to start a movement and every individual to spread that message. I may not single-handedly change the world by signing a petition or not eating beef but I am one of many who are doing (or who are not doing) the same. As a species we are powerful creatures when organized for a common purpose. We can change the world. Look at our past. Look at all the destruction that has come out of war, imperialism and greed. If we can use that energy to make something good come out of it we are all the more powerful.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/

Land Ethic

I support the eco centric view that we need to do what is good for the ecosystem, even if that means hunting animals. We are part of nature and it is our responsibility to do what we can to protect our environment. When DJ came to visit yesterday he brought up a few issues. One that caught my attention was the question of whether or not we have a responsibility to our future generation. I take comfort knowning that I won't be around when we face extreme overpopulation and global warming's final effects. However, I will do what I can to make the future as safe a place as possible. Just because I won't be there doesn't mean what I do now won't affect the future. The present sets precedent for our future. Basically, we are the future.

At first I wasn't willing to accept that hunting the exotic creatures in Texas could possibly be good for them. I don't like seeing any animal killed for recreation but they do raise a few good points. They are able to make money off of hunting the animals and with that money they are able to preserve the animals and their land.