The Last Video

The video that we watched on the last day was one of the most beautiful stories and a perfect way to end the semester. That video showed that one person can make a difference if they try. The only thing is we all can't go out and plant trees although that is a novel idea it still will not be enough to help with all the problems that we have already caused. I believe that strict laws and regulations should be placed into effect to lower the nations carbon dioxide output and all the other harmful toxins that are released, I don't think that big corporations should be allowed to buy offsets to anything this is not doing anything to help an already struggling environment, that is trying to get back on it's feet. We as a race are the most destructive there is we throw off ecosystems left and right for the gain if profit and won't invest in the most important thing that we have: The Earth.If this continues at the rate that it is future generations will pay the price. Most of the nations in the world are working together to do something about this major problem and it seems like we are the only ones that won't get off our high horse and humble ourselves like the rest of the world. The U.S. should be leading this movement to save the environment and atmosphere since we seem to be doing to most damage to it.

Education

In class we discussed education and I didn't chime in because I really don't know how to explain the form of education I received as a child.When I was through with kindergarten at a public school I received a scholarship to attend a private school called Hawthorn Valley. This school is a Waldorf school, there is no way to describe what a Waldorf school is so I provided a link at the bottom for you to read on your own. When speaking to my dad about how to explain my education at this school he said "It's just a different way of teaching, you listen and interpret information differently than most students." I honestly don't think I do but maybe it is true. In this school we didn't spend time learning information that we had to regurgitate back onto a test at the middle and end of the year because there were no state tests.Everything was learned at the classes pace, also there was only one of each grade level and you had the same main teacher for all your main subjects such as history, math, language art, and so on, this allowed for in my mind a closer relationship with you classmates and your instructor. They become like your family, for the eight years I attended that school I had 23 kids in my class a few came and a few yet but there was always that set 23. I'm this school I learned a lot of things that a person who went to a public school would say were unconventional but I beg to differ. I learned to farm, raise animals,care for those animals, knit, sew, cook, hike, survive in the wilderness if need be, multiple languages from a very young age, and to expand on things that I enjoyed. In class there were a few students that said that public schools didn't allow you to expand on things that you found interesting they just got you in and out as fast as they could, that's the main difference I see in the two forms of education one let you expand and explore your options and the other placed you on a set path. I left the Waldorf school to attend a public school in high school because although the school allowed you to explore all of options I didn't feel as if it would prepare me for college and the "real world" as some might say. Even though I did leave I still believe that my years there were some of the most beneficial years of my educational career to this day. I didn't say all this in class because it took me a long time to find the words to express to the class this alternative form if education and how it is beneficial.

• There is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education

Family

In class we also spoke about family. I was raised in a household where family is extremely important and I believe that your family is one of the most important things you have. I believe that in Nancy Folbre's book there is not enough emhphasis on how the nuclear family is run lately. I think that the caring problem is nurtured due to the lack of caring in the nuclear family and that this is the element that needs to be addressed rather than swept under the rug, people now days are so quick to hand their children off to the next person so they can continue their pursuit of their own personal gain. It seems like all to often people who have professional lives family's have to take the runner up position. The lack of caring in families I believe is what is leading to the decline in the "invisible heart", and like Folbre's stated this is due to the increase in the pursuit of personal gain.When Smith came up with this theory he believed in the good of humankind and didn't think that people were capable of being that selfish,but this is where he is at fault because it seems that personal gain is far more rewarding that caring for others. I think that everyone needs to take a step back and look at what is occurring and if that doesn't work then more money should be put into the business of caring so people have an incentive to care. In the end I still think that this is a problem that has it's roots deeply embedded in the family,and nuclear families in this country have some issues that need to be worked on.

• The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values. New York: The New Press, 2001

Alternative Energy

Lately there has been a lot if talk in my community about solar power,two of my close friends are going to school at Hudson Valley Community College to learn how to install the panels, and learn more in depth about the solar market. One of my friends always tells me that this is going to be the new market and that it is going to make money, I agree with him to a certain extent but not fully. I believe that solar power could very well be one of the most useful forms of power the only thing that I see posing as a problem is the financial aspect. The reason why people use oil or any other form of fossil fuel as a power source is because it is not hard to obtain and it is inexpensive to use.Eventually both of those statements will be false do to the factor of peak oil that is inevitable in the long run. This is where solar power could do some good the only downside to this is the financial burden that it has. If solar power were made less expensive I believe more people that are environmentally conscious would use this form of energy for their homes and businesses, and if there was some form incentive for corporations to make the switch like tax breaks or government funding I believe they would readily make the switch too. As with most things positive reinforcement is needed to cause a change.

• http://www.solarpower.org/
  
• https://www.hvcc.edu/wdi/offerings/pv-basics.pdf

The Many Benefits of Urban Living

There seems to be a negative stigma attached to the idea of living in urban environments. Arguments arise about pollution and over-crowding. But as someone who grew up in an urban environment, I can attest to the many pros of living in a big city. A lecture in my Human Growth and Development class proved that there are more benefits to Urban Living than just environmental ones.

Earlier in the semester we watched a video titled "The End of Suburbia". It highlighted the many cons of living in the suburbs and the environmental implications that exist in attempting to sustain the suburban lifestyle. Suburbs tend to be isolated from businesses and places of work. This increases the need for vehicles to get around. Obviously, that has implications on the environment. Using a vehicle as a primary means for transportation has a negative effect on the health of individuals as well because it decreases the opportunity for exercise. Though, in children, this can be countered with participation in sports and recreational activities, adults in the suburbs tend to lead a much more sedentary life-style. This may be a contributor to the obesity epidemic.

City dwellers tend to use mass transit for transportation, lowering carbon dioxide emissions. The proximity of businesses, schools and jobs means people can walk or cycle to and from their destinations. City parks provide green space for recreational activities as well as reduction of atmospheric CO2. There is more opportunity for physical activity, which may help decrease rates of obesity.

I know many people will agree will not agree with the idea that raising a family in a city/urban environment is better, but I found growing up in an urban environment to be a positive experience for me. There are parks within walking distance of most residential areas. I could go to the museum or the theatre or school without the need of a vehicle. I was exposed to a wide variety of cultures. There was always something to see or do; some new food to try or new person to talk to. I gained a certain wisdom that can't necessarily be measured, but I know has everything to do with my constant exposure to different people and situations.

Of course, cities are not perfect. There are dangers that exist there just like anywhere else, but I think the benefits outweigh the costs.

My Carbon Footprint

carbonfootprint.com defines a carbon footprint as:
"a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc."
The image above, from carbonfootprint.com, shows the percentages that daily activities and consumption contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.

There are a number of websites available that offer people the opportunity to calculate their carbon footprint based on their daily activities and behaviors. One such website is nature.org.

The Carbon footprint calculator calculates your individual or household carbon footprint in tons of CO2 eq/year. The calculator asked me questions about home heating, travelling, appliance use, energy efficient light bulb use, diet and meat consumption, and recycling habits.

My results were quite surprising and lower than I expected. According to the calculator my personal carbon footprint is 7.9 (tons CO2 eq/year). This is compared to the average American's personal carbon footprint, estimated at 27, and the world average, estimated at 5.5. I was also surprised to see how much higher the carbon footprint of the average American is in comparison to the rest of the world. It makes me think that policies need to be made to regulate our carbon emissions. What's the awareness of climate change has not seemed to decrease the CO2 emissions in this country.

The fact that I don't drive a car may have a lot to do with my low carbon footprint. I live in a very large city with an efficient public transportation system. Owning a car is neither necessary nor convenient. I reside in an apartment building which does not allow me to regulate the temperature in my apartment, however, all of my light bulbs are energy efficient as are the majority of my appliances. This may also contribute to my lower footprint.

Another thing nature.org does is breakdown your behavior and offer advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint. I think everyone should visit the website and have their carbon footprint calculated. Is it lower or higher than you expected?

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html

Kyoto Protocol, Is it doomed to fail?

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement signed by members of the United Nations, set forth by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997 and ratified in 2005.

The goal of the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent below reported levels in 1990. 37 "Annex 1" countries commit to reducing the following greenhouse gases

Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide
Sulfur-Hexaflouride

as well as
HFC's and PFC's (Flourocarbons)

Reported levels of greenhouse gases in 1990 were:

335 ppm Carbon Dioxide
1616 ppb Methane
310 ppb Nitrous Oxide
(global levels of Sulfur Hexaflouride not found)

Today, Carbon Dioxide levels have increased to above 385ppm. Methane levels are above 1750ppb and nitrous oxide levels are above 315ppb.

The Protocol places more pressure on developed nations that are principally responsible for the increase in greenhouse gas emissions at the turn of the century.

The problem with this is that, today, the nations most responsible for greenhouse emissions are developing countries just entering industrialization and attempting to catch up with already developed nations. The developing countries have substantially larger populations as well, which just duplicates the problem. If the protocol does not pressure them to commit to reducing emissions, the efforts of the treaty will be fruitless.

Another problem is that developed countries, like the United States, have diminished their greenhouse emissions by outsourcing their factories and plants to developing nations. This is completely counterproductive to the efforts of the protocol

It seems as if the Kyoto protocol is just a document showing the UN's intent on doing something about climate change. According to carbonify.com, signers to the agreement are not bound to commit to it unless their government ratifies it.

Worse yet, the United States recently refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol under the excuse that it would be bad for the economy. The irony is that the U.S. is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse emissions in the world. Another reason the U.S. refused to ratify the agreement was because developing nations like China would not be obligated to commit to the conditions of the agreement.

how can the UNFCCC expect to meet it's goals of reducing greenhouse emissions to safer levels if nations are not participating in the efforts?

Please watch this CNN video about the Kyoto Agreement

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/tech/2009/12/06/coren.kyoto.backgrounder.cnn.html

The following websites further explain the Kyoto Protocol, as well as it's limitations and successes. I encourage you all to check them out and let me know what you think. I am curious to see your positions on the ratification of the Protocol in the U.S.

http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php

http://www.carbonify.com/articles/kyoto-protocol.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol