Earth Charter

For this blog, I will be making connections between the earth charter principles and class readings, discussions, field trips, etc.

1) Respect and Care For the Community of Life

This principle wants us to recognize that all beings on earth rely on each other and that every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings. We need to respect the diversity of earth and secure it for future generations. This principle reminds me of the time in class when we had a discussion about this we even listed some species that we considered useless. A lot of people did not believe every form of life has value and I can agree to an extent, like I personally do not like mosquitoes and I can live without them. But maybe somewhere along the food chain mosquitoes are needed.   This principle also reminds me of the class reading: "What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important by Vandana Shiva" in this reading she goes as far to say "biodiversity is the very fabric of life." and if it is we need to understand and love this diversity in front of us.

2) Ecological Integrity

This principle looks at ways we can protect, restore, and improve Earth's ecological systems. This principle in general sums up this University Colloquium class to me. Through all our discussions and field trips we have continued to look at ways we can protect, restore, and improve the environment. Michael Grunwald's: Endgame, really sticks out to me when I think of ecological integrity. It shows people taking initiative to protect the everglades to the point where the actually get the government to reject an airport project. I believe this is a step in the right direction for ecological integrity.

3) Social and Economic Justice

This principle looks at ways we can better humanity such as clean water for everyone, distribution of wealth among nations, securing human rights, and eliminating discrimination. I feel like this is the goal it's not going to be easy but I do believe one day we can get close with our knowledge and technological advancements. This principle reminds me of our ECHO Field Trip where they were finding ways to assist developing countries support themselves using small-scale sustainable agricultural techniques. I love what they were doing and I hope more follow in that direction not just for food but for human rights and discrimination so we can have social and economic justice for all.

4) Democracy, Non-Violence, and Peace

This principle pretty much looks at the "treat others as you wish to be treated" saying. It's easy and nice to say but are we really doing this? You see the pollution of oceans, air, animal cruelty and the destruction of habitats. Until this changes we are not treating everything the way we wish to be treated. This principle reminds me of Jane Goodall's Why Save Endangered Species where she raises the point that the animals belong on the land who are we to just move them. If we learned to treat people and the environment with respect and consideration it would be a better world.

Goodall Endangered Species

For this blog entry I will be reflecting on some quotes from Jane Goodall's: Healing Earth’s Scars: It’s Never Too Late and Why Save Endangered Species. These are my thoughts, beliefs, questions, and/or concerns.

"My four reasons for hope, about which I have written and spoken extensively, are simple-naive perhaps, but they work for me: our quite extraordinary intellect, the resilience of nature, the energy and commitment of informed young people who are empowered to act, and the indomitable human spirit." (Goodall 161)

I personally like this quote because for one it’s positive. Usually when we read these segments I feel like the author is very doom and gloom like humanity is doing everything wrong and only if we make drastic changes will nature survive. So to hear Jane Goodall have some faith in humanity is nice for once and I agree with her. Humanity in general is super smart we have all kinds of technology and ideas that can help restore our environment. Nature is also very resilience like she mentions it’s not going away overnight. If our younger generations get educated and connected to the environment we have no reason to believe our environment can’t be helped or saved. We see examples of this in Healing Earth’s Scars: It’s Never Too Late Goodall talks about the Kenya Coast that goes from a wasteland to a paradise, we have examples of possibilities even in the worst situations so why should we accept the notion that were doomed and can't learn and fix our mistakes?

"Thirty years ago, the Hudson River and its surrounding waterways were so polluted that its population of short-nosed sturgeon became the first fish species to be listed as endangered. This resulted in a massive effort to clean up the river." (Goodall 166)

This quote should show us that people are willing to protect nature, only problem is it takes a drastic event like this one or the Cuyahoga River fire we talked about in class. Over the past 15 years the population in the Hudson River has increased over 400 percent and this was all done through a busy city like New York. If this doesn't show us the potential possibilities of restoration I don't know what will. The goal now should be getting people to rally together for these issues before a drastic event happens.

"Unfortunately in our materialistic world, where all that counts is the bottom line, human values of love and compassion are too often suppresses." (Goodall 183)

We live in a time where people are measured as successful by their material objects or titles. Everything is a business it’s all about making money and whoever gets in the way will have to suffer. We have changed our ways of living drastically from our ancestors. You are not allowed to show love or compassion for someone at times because you run the risk of being looked at as weak. If it’s this tough to show love and compassion to other humans, it’s going to be hard to show it to the animals and the environment.

Carson Silent Spring

For this blog entry I will be reflecting on some quotes from Rachel Carson's: A Fable for Tomorrow and The Obligation to Endure. These are my thoughts, beliefs, questions, and/or concerns.

"The most alarming of all man's assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials." (Carson 153)

I always found this to quite shocking as well the air, earth, and rivers are vital to all life forms on earth. Us as humans need the air to breath, the earth to eat, and the rivers do drink. Take away one of these functions and our wellbeing as we know it drastically changes. We go to great lengths to take care of our material positions such as phones and jewelry but won't take care of those things essential to life. Take someone’s house for example are you allowed to just walk in contaminate the air, destroy the furniture and dump sewage all over the place? In most cases can't do this or you’re looking at a lawsuit, the same should apply to the environment that all of us have to share. The air, earth, and rivers are essential to all of us and we need to start having more respect for them before it’s too late.

 

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

"It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth-eons of time in which that developing and evolving and diversifying life reached a state of adjustment and balance with its surroundings." (Carson 154)

The earth is 4.54 billion years old that is a lot of time. Every species we see right now has evolved over time until it reached an equilibrium with its surroundings. The problem now occurs because man is messing around with the environment and speeding up things up at a speed never seen before. Plants for example can't keep up with all the sprays, dusts, and aerosols being applied. It would take generations for plants and the environment to fully adapt to these changes but at the speed there being applied everyone is affected.

 

http://cape.ca/why-canadian-physicians-are-concerned-about-the-policies-regulating-pesticide-use/

"Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?" (Carson 159)

This can be said about a lot of people in the world there okay with just sitting back and letting something happen if it doesn't directly affect them. You often hear people say things like why should I vote I'm only one person whoever wins won't be decided by me. That might be a little true but what if a million people thought the same way that could be enough to change the election. We all have a sense of what is right and wrong and we need to come together and do what’s right no more sitting around and just accepting what’s about to happen you can make a difference.

 

http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-make-a-difference.asp