environmental-issues-caitlanb

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

Blog 2: Action; Household e-waste analysis

-Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant, Beauty finish: This product has an EWG rating of 6. This is primarily due to the presence of Isobutane, Butane and the fragrance itself (contains allergens, internal + external irritation, etc). Overall hazard: moderate -Pantene expert pro-v intense repair shampoo: This product has an EWG rating of 5. This is primarily due to the presence of the fragrance itself, Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone. Overall hazard: Moderate. -Gilette Venus with a touch of Olay Shave Gel, Violet Swirl: This product has an EWG rating of 5. This is primarily due to the presence of fragrance, Isobutane and Triethanolamine. Overall hazard rating: moderate.

Purchases (made by entire household collectively) throughout the week of November 12-18:                                               Corporate or        Environmental                      | Social impact  | Small business | impact            | Category ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Coca-Cola   Negative           Corporate           Negative          = Ugly (case) ($20)                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Spitz (3$)    Good;                Corporate;          Great;              = Good                      healthy              bought by           Compostable                       (To an extent)   Pepsico       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Starbucks   Moderate;          Corporate           Negative          = Bad   (~$10)        Some products                                             are fine,                              some are bad ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   -Potatoes     Good                Small business   Positive;           = Good ($10)                                                                Locally grown --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Pizza          Negative           Small business   Moderate          = Bad ($30) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Liquid gel   Moderate           Corporate            Negative          = Bad Advil        ($15) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Sandwich     Moderate         Corporate            Moderate        = Bad ($5)              -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Rice ($5)      Moderate        Corporate            Good              = Good -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Water                                                              Good; Bottles ($17) Good               Corporate            Ecofriendly    = Good            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Sirloin           Moderate       Small business;   Negative         = Bad Steaks ($20)                        local farms  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Assorted      Great              Small business    Great              = Good vegetables                           (~$6) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Apples          Great             Small business    Great               = Good (~$6) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals: Good: ~$47 spent Bad: ~$80 spent Ugly: $20 spent If I could make changes to any category, it would be the ‘Bad’ category; avoiding going out to eat (take out/dine in) and encouraging the members of my household to make meals with more environmentally friendly ingredients is a great place to start.

The best option to dispose of my households e-waste is to take it to a drop location within the city where it could be removed, picked up and hauled away, where it will be recycled in development of other electronics/innovations (JustJunk). With that being said, in the future when I buy new electronics, I will take the initiative to research on what options I have to purchase for a specific product (TV, laptop, cellphone,etc) and choose the products that are more eco-friendly.

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: Food

What I like about the food system is how wide it is, there is always some sort of meal/snack for everyone, and with the countless amount of ingredients available, you can make several variations of your favorite meals. Also, I like how there is alot of information available with our food, being able to really know what you’re eating and where it came from makes all the difference.

What I don’t like about the food system is the use of chemicals that has become a routine within various corporate farms, I fear that this may backfire immensely and result in the poisoning (methabe, etc) of countless individuals, especially children, who are more vulnearable to any hazardous chemicals. Also, I don’t like how these corperate farms are dominating over dignified family farms, as while these big business farms make their products with the intention to just profit off of them, these other small business farms make their produce with care and patience; they also taste better, since they aren’t rushed.

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: Oceans

The overall health of the worlds oceans have been a significant environmental concern for decades, it wasn’t until humanity has done horrific, borderline-irreversible damage to our oceans that our selfishness is exposed.

Everyday our worlds oceans are polluted with disgusting plastics that not only make the oceans full I chemicals, but also dead aquatic life, as they mistake it for food.

What’s even scarier about our impact on the worlds oceans is how ignorant we are towards it, I would speak to my friends about how our oceans are deteriorating and they have no idea what I’m talking about; they barely even seem to care at all! Essentially, humanity (primarily the younger generation) may care to extent, but it will never be enough unless you can really convince them.

A way to solve this issue would be to educate others have more about what exactly is going on, even if you have to force the info onto them or use fear tactics (to a VERY limited extent).

Also, to reduce the number of plastics in our oceans, the best that I myself (and every individual person) can do is reduce my own use of plastic; even the slightest lack of plastic could make a significant difference in the pollution within our oceans. Also, I took the initiative to give out reusable water bottles as christmas presents to my friends and family, to which I will hopefully sway them away from unnecessarily using plastic bottle after plastic bottle.

Just a few of the water bottles ill be giving out

Its important that action is to be taken NOW while we still have a chance to reverse some of the damage we have done; as if our oceans die, then we die.

Primary source: class notes

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

Blog 2: Read + Respond; Climate Change and Environmental Degradation

3 Challenges against the economy:

More frequent and severe storms cost insurance industries, the government and the general public thousands of dollars.

Various global companies struggle to obtain enough Capital, which is required (in significantly large portions) in orders for them to enter any global/national market.

Lack of a stable climate will inhibit any sognificant economic output maintenance; power our of the hands of the ones who were once in control.

3 Opportunities that can help the economy:

Remodelling/renovating old buildings (that rely on fossil fuels to function) would create thousands of jobs; installing energy retrofits instead of fossil fuels would be better on the environment aswell.

Lower emmissions + lower energy usage = increase in global competativeness; Big companies will develop a side variety of new, sustainable innovations that will benefit our worlds economy and the environment (no more greenhouse gases!).

Institutional investors persuaded to buy “green bonds”; essentially raising funds to combat deforestraition, develop more methods of transportation and build energy efficient buildings.

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: Zoos

Each and every Zoo in the world, whether they declare themselves as a facility, Museum of conservation area, undeniably have the potential to be a rich foundation of wildlife while still being humane and well-orchestrated. Wildlife conservation within our worlds Zoos is an effective way to not only provide protection for various endangered specids, but also allow each of their populations to flourish without any further threat of extinction (illegal hunting, loss of natural habitat, slash-and burn agriculture, etc)(1).

Furthermore, these opportunities for wildlife conservation will provide our youth (aswell as any person fascinated by diverse wildlife) with a rich education of what our worlds ecosystems have to offer. By allowing the younger generation to be able to observe, research and embrace wildlife, they will gain a respectful attitude towards nature as a whole; this is important since they are the future, as long as they appreciate what our world has to offer, they will put in a effort to protect it!

I believe that, given the circumstances, it is ethical to keep animals of any size in ecocentric Zoos. As stated above, allowing Zoos to conserve various endangered species will allow them to escape any threat of extinction, in which Zoos that take into consideration of the wellbeing of their animals are very important in maintaining our worlds biodiversity.

The only sort of Zoo that I could ever approve of would be where there would be less hard, metal cages and more living space for the enclosed species. An example of a respectable Zoo would be the Montréal Biodome, a state of the ark facility that I was privileged enough to visit back in 2013!

**Sadly I lost all of the pictures I took while I visited Montréal.

This indoor facility exhibits 5 seperate ecosystems, all of which are structured in a way that makes the visitor feel like they’re directly in the heart of a forest/tundra/etc, rather than just looking at a display of animals. (2)

Labrador coast exhibit

Sub-Antarctic Islands exhibit

Laurentian Maple Forest exhibit

With that being said, Zoos that treat their animals like convicted felons on death row (locking them in constrained cages where they are forced to be harrassed by the public) are toxic for our worlds ecosystems and must be removed.

The only Zoos I enjoy going to are ones that allow me to witness normal behaviour from the animals/aquatic life that are being exhibited; watching these unique species interact with their environments and go about their days is very fascinating! Zoos that are more like jail cells leave a sour taste in my mouth; they make me want to just adopt all of the animals/aquatic life myself to set them free.

(1) Class notes

(2) Montréal Biodome official website. http://m.espacepourlavie.ca

**All photos: http://m.espacepourlavie.ca

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Blog 2: Wild Edibles; Raspberry Streusel Muffins

On October 18, 2017, in honor of Sustainability Month, I attended a seminar on Wild Edibles and Foraging. This seminars exploration of the versatility of Acorns (food, open wound healing, etc) has sparked my interest in what our ecosystems really have to offer; I myself am tempted to start harvesting crab apples and blueberries this upcoming summer!

To get some ideas, I decided to look into how my extended family collects/harvests their wild edibles, the immediate family of one of my first cousins, Christine, caught my eye. Thorough her Facebook photo album, I was able to fawn over her cute, sturdy family garden grown in the backyard of her home in the countryside. My Uncle, as well as my second cousins, help her maintain it.

In that garden, various vegetables such as Radishes, Carrots, and Lettuce are grown. Aswell as several different types of berries; primarily Raspberries.

With her harvested Rasperries, Christine loves to make Raspberry Streusel Muffins for both herself (ofcourse!) and her family; as she always brings some to share at family get togethers in the summer.

*Recipe:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 stick butter, plus an additional tablespoon, divided

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or lemon)

1 pint raspberries (2 cups)

(This recipe will make about 2 dozen muffins.)

DIRECTIONS

1. First, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter in a large bowl, and mix with a pastry blender. You will want to mix until the clumps are pea-sized. Take out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.

2. Then add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Gently whisk together. Since muffins are a quick bread and can ruin easily by too much stirring, you will want to stir until everything is just combined. There will be lumps, and that’s okay. Once combined, gently fold in the raspberries and spoon into a greased muffin tin.

3. Before you put the muffins in the oven, melt the extra tablespoon of butter and add it to the 1 cup of flour mixture set aside earlier. Mix with a fork until the butter is fully combined. The mixture should be clumpy.

4. Sprinkle the clumps on the muffins.Bake in a 350° oven for 20-30 minutes. I start checking them at 20 minutes, and continue every 5 minutes or so until you can pull a toothpick out clean.

*As described on a sheet of paper from her bakery book.

Photo(s) source: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=594002099 (Christine Baziuk Polet; photo gallery)

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

Blog 1: Read; Truth and Reconciliation Commission + Sustainable Development Goals

The controversal aborigional rights commision implemented into Canada has some parallels with the Unites Nations goals for a healthier, more productive planet. Both instigations challenge what society deems as insignificant and fights to demolish all of the rambunctious propaganda surrounding such topics.

The United Nations’ initiative to fight against poverty and malnutrition (hunger), as well as work towards making clean, drinkable water widely accessible, directly applies to the decades of oppression experienced by the aborigional community. The aborigional communities were subject to vicious colonialism where they were stripped of their basic human rights; essentially they were consideree to be “savages” rather than actual human beings. The “truth and reconciliation” commissions desire to ensure that this oppression gets resolved reflects the goals of the United Nations, as both work towards not only making the world a better place, but they also challenge all of the widespread propaganda, which undermines the extremity of this oppression.

The aborigional communities, even within the past decade, have been exploited and neglected by large corperations in which their lands resources are prioritized over their wellbeings.

An example of such exploitation would be when various aborigional communities in Alaska have had their water and land destroyed by the bush administrations initiative to drill for oil. The members of the communities were offered jobs with twh corperation, but they were temporary and “didnt pay enough to feed an entire family over the winter”. This corperation has essentially undermined the importance of the individuals of the community, to which the bush administration, aswell as the mainstream media have covered up the destruction; stating that it will “only affect a small portion of the land”, when in reality it was so much more. [all info (1)]

The United Nations’ initiative to fight against (racial) inequalities, develop sturdy communities and create wellrounded, well paying jobs is critical in addressing the “truth and reconciliation” commisions desire for better opportunities for aborigional communities.

Ultimately, the United Nations desire to pursue partnerships in pursiit of achieving various goals best outlines what the ultimate intentions of the “truth and reconciliation” commisions are; inclusion. By gaining a new, unique outlook on nature, we can work towards developing a sustainable world where each and every on of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals could ultimately be achieved.

Essentially, by including the aborigional community in the United nations goals for a more sustainable world is giving the community exactly what they have wished for for all these years; acceptance and recognition as productive inhbitants of the world. These parallels between these goals and that commision essemtially are dependant on the influence of eachother, as in order for one of them to thrive, the other must thrive aswell.

Photos:

-'Oil on Ice' title picture.

-"Vote yes to aborigional rights": http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/26/50th-anniversary-pivotal-1967-referendum

(1) Oil on Ice (documentary)** link not available

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: Wildspaces

Parks Canadas goal to balance tourism/visitation and ecosystem preservation within their designated parks nationwide has been plagued with various controversies and structural flaws.

One of the more abstract controversies is whether making a wildspace into a park is really necessary to ensure its protection, due to the conflicts between human exploration of such parks and wildlife feeling obligated to lay low/become aggressive towards any potential danger (1).

An example of such problematic occurences would be a situation at Banff National Park earlier this summer where some visitors got far too close to some Grizzly Bears just to snap a picture of them; making the (baby?) Grizzly Bear visibly bothered (2). I, personally, was very sickened by this behaviour; it is nosy people like this who make my disdain for human contact with wildlife much stronger.

It is very much up to Parks Canada to take the initiative to regulate the human access into their parks to avoid any unplesant confrontations. I believe that regardless of how many regulations are put into place, aslong as nosy/curious visiters and the babies of the inhabitating species (bears) are walking around and potentially sturring up trouble, this would seem to be very much impossible.

Wapusk National Park, however, is in a different situation. Its limited public access regulation (primarily through the requirements of permits) has drastically preserved the biodiversity and safety of wildlife within the area (3). The possibly of it reaching a dual mandate of access and protection seems very much plausable so long as the humans presence within the park is limited and heavily regulated.

A concept that I have looked into was an activity where humans would be put into a cage attached to a vehicle and be driven through the wildlife enclosures. To which they would get a chance to explore what the park has to offer in its ecosystem without directly disrupting any of the wildlife.(4) Ofcourse in order for this to be completely effective, visible trails/travelling routes must be put into place so that none of the drivers get lost or end up too close to the wildlife.

Photos: National Geographic

(1) Class discussions; the environmental

specialist Ms. Hunter talked about.

(2) Sawlor, Mike (property of footage). July

10, 2017. https://globalnews.ca/news

3586622/canada-national-park-violations/

(3) Elliot, Cam. March 30, 2017https:/

www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/mb

wapusk/decouvrir-discover

ne1ne1_2010_ete-summer/ne1ai

(4) https://youtu.be/9LWV9qcZwrE

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

Blog 1: Watch; Talking Trees and Vultures

The intriguing and insightful lectures of both Suzanne Simard and Munir Virani have shaped my knowledge about how our worlds ecosystems function. I have gained alot more appreciation towards our planet, as well as a lot more disdain for our species and how destructive and ignorant we are towards the remarkable life that adorns our world.

Simard's lecture regarding the trees connection through its roots, as well as her research on how different trees are interdependant of eachother, has very much nurtured my fascination with the worlds vast assortion of trees. My mind has gained a whole new dimension as to how complex our forests really are and how, just like an iceberg (as Simard explained), there is more than meets the eye in terms of how large these forests really are.

Virani's ambitious lecture about the demonized Vultures has educated me on just how significant they are to their ecosystems. Virani describes how they protect the other inhabitants from disease by eating left over corpses, something that no one else could bear to do. Virani's passion and dedication to fighting for the Vultures protection against excessive hunting has resignated to me, as I now see them more as a stable species of their respective ecosystems rather than a nuisance. I believe that it would be criminal to hunt them down to extinction, as they have more valuable qualities/duties than negative obligations.

The most important aspects of nature and biodiversty to protect would be the keystone species (of each respective ecosystem) and the expanding emission of knowledge and interest over nature.

Simard's commented on how, before her, very few people took the initiative to really do the work outside. This reminded me of a conversation I had with my friends Nicole and Sade one evening, we were discussing how little our generation (previous and upcoming as well) wants to spend time doing vigorous outdoor activities, as they see very little value in it. The 3 of us believe that if more knowledge regarding how our world's ecosystems are structured will encourage our generation to come out of their bubble and explore something other than superficial, mainstream nonsense.

With that being said, (as i stated in a previous blog) the keystone species of each respective ecosystem must be protected at all costs to ensure that their ecosystems do not collapse. Further education into identifying who they are is key to ensuring that they do no become extinct; our world's beautiful display of nature will cease to exist if we just let them die out.

Its important that our generations love towards nature is nurtured because we essentially are the future; our future will be determined by what we do with the time we have.

Photo: used in Suzanne Simadds tedtalk video/lecture

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Blog 1: Action; Spending an hour walking around Kildonan Park

September 27, 2017.

It was a brisk yet lovely fall afternoon when my friend, Kaitlynn, and I, decided to head out to Kildonan park. For an entire hour, Starbucks Salted Caramel Mochas in hand, we silently walked around the park and observed our surroundings. Kaitlynn decided to take a few pictures on the way, which she shared with me.

As we walked around the lively park, I heard the birds chirping, the squirrels rustling through the bushes, and the sturdy wind nearly swooshing away my scarf. I would close my eyes and feel as though I was in Pinawa during the summer: surrounded by nothing but mother nature (minus the colder weather ofcourse).

The scenery was lovely; even though the trees haven’t fully changed color yet, they provided a shade that complimented the abstract color scheme of the whole park. Even with the vibrant vegetation, the Plump of Geese we spotted on the red river was quite a pretty sight, with each Goose travelling close to eachother in almost a straight line. Kaitlynn was the first one to point them out to me in awe:

The crisp smell of the dirt and the aging vegetation made me feel calm after a day riddled with stress; I could feel all of the days tensions slide off of my shoulders.

Unfortunately, with our tedious schedules, we couldnt stay any longer. On the way home I chatted with Kaitlynn about how enthusiastic the birds sounded and how she noticed the squirrels being very lazy. What had us talking the most was how disapointed we were about how caged up the park was from the red river; how we wished to hear the water currents more clearly and get a better view of that Plump of Geese. As of now were planning on heading back to Kildonan Park to do his again, with possibly a picnic and a game of frisbee. After all, winter is coming up very soon!

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: Worldviews

Out of the 3 types of environmental standpoints (Anthropocentric, Ecocentric and Biocentric), my environmental ethics lie within the non-human focus of ecocentric.

The ecocentric standpoint appeals to me because I’m a firm believer that in order to preserve biodiversity, we must make the overall health of the planet a top priority.

I believe that we must identify and protect what exactly keeps our forests, grasslands, and tundras stable and able to sustain various ecosystems; prioritizing the protection of the keystone species of each region will do just that. These keystone species are pivotal in providing stability in the structure and health of their respective ecosystems, if they were to ever be removed, then their ecosystems would fall apart.(1)

An example of this phenomenon would be when the Wolves were completely eradicated from Yellowstone National Park, which in turn caused very serious issues within the ecosystem such as [All info (2), (3)]:

Increase in the Elk population (which made them more prone to falling ill from spread of disease)

Other predators could not hunt as much as they only go after weak elk; older and (mostly) healthier elk were more common

Coyotes had no more competition - made various other species within the park critically endangered (Primarily Foxes),

Overgrazing; vegetation was being consumed faster than it was able to grow.

The flow of the rivers surrounding the park changed course

Soil erosion occurred (due to overgrazing); landscape became irritable.

Of course, once the wolves were reintroduced to the park, these issues immediately were reversed, and the ecosystem functions went back to normal. Learning about this phenomenon last year in my ENVR 1000 class has really opened my eyes as to how dependant a whole landscape can be on just one type of species; this is where my ecocentric views began to flourish.

Furthermore, we must take the initiative to get directly involved with the various ecosystems around the world to ensure that their stability never falters at the hands on any intrusive/problematic species(4). I recall learning about this issue during my highschool geography class, where we learned about how Zebra Mussells have taken over Lake Winnipeg. These Zebra Mussells have not only severely degraded the population of various aquatic species, but they have also made the lake unpleasant to be around; with it becoming even more difficult to eradicate them, Lake Winnipeg may soon be declared dead. (5)

Ultimately, I can stand by the declaration that the systems of the world's ecosystems must be prioritized. Without a solid ecological structure, our beautiful landscapes will cease to exist; in which the human race will cease to exist.

Endnotes

(1)  Thompson, John N. “Keystone species”. Encyclopaedia Britannica, March 19, 2015 https://www.britannica.com/science/keystone-species

(2) “Bringing wolves home”.  NOVA, November 11, 1997http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/wolves-yellowstone.html

(3)  Macneil, Caeleigh, “How wolves saved the foxes, mice and rivers of Yellowstone national park”, Earth justice, July 8, 2015

(4) Class notes**

(5) lakewinnipegfoundation.org

[environmental-issues-caitlanb]

In-Class Blog Reflection: How do we connect/disconnect from nature?

After reflecting upon the “How do we Connect?” video presented in class, I have realised that the human race's undeniable egoism seems to clash with their desire to appreciate the beauty of nature. Various human connections and disconnections from nature are outlined throughout the video, which in turn has initiated some controversies that most humans, such as myself, can’t help but ponder.

Our connection to nature is primarily promoted through the fascination of very adventurous activities such as camping, hiking, nature photographing and wildlife watching; all of which exhibit just how gorgeous our planet really is. This video seems especially infatuated with the industrious Beavers who use natural resources to indirectly benefit their ecosystem through the creation of dams. These dams support the human race substantially in terms of preventing flooding, pollution and protecting biodiversity.

Personally, my favorite way to connect with nature is to go rafting down the pinawa channel with a few friends. After which we would then go on a hot, liberating walk down the Trans-Canada trail. Being directly in the heart of these ecosystems that bless the community of Pinawa is very lovely and calming; they almost make me want to live there permanently! Though, while many others like to take pictures of all the beautiful things they see, I personally am not a fan of it; i prefer to just breathe in the moment and live in the now.

What's very disapointing about the human race's relationship with nature are the various disconnections that are promoted through various forms of rambunctious propaganda. This video outlines a term known as “humanism”, where it is believed that, since our species is “unique”, we are “superior” to all other organisms. This humanism is what promotes the action of destroying various staple forests that are the only home to these “inferior” species; in these circumstances, only one organism matters admist the destruction, the human race, everything else is irrelevant. This greed and egoism is outlined through a comparison between our species and the Beavers; while the Beavers have more tolerence towards other organisms and contribute to the development of their ecosystems, our species just takes what we need and moves on along with our relatively large egos, leaving a trail of destruction behind us.

A promonent threat of a growing human disconnection from nature is very much plausable, with all the superficial and artificial priorities that our species has over the planet as a whole. One of the largest threats outlined in this video is the development of technology, as while it is belived to be progress, it is in fact just further destruction of the planet. This idea of “progress” is developed through that fear tactic in which the authority figures of our society convince us that we need to be “protected” from the danger that is prevalent around the world; in reality the only organisms that are in danger are the ones who are rapidly loosing their ecosystems. The human race is so obsessed with protecting their communities that are primarily, as described in the video, just “coccons”, that they are detached from the outside world; our societies are so fragile that even the most insignificant threat could incite madness and paranoia.