Research Thesis & Outline: Part 1

Living a greener lifestyle can happen overnight, with a simple solution, if we wanted to. By banning plastic bags from our grocery stores and society completely, it will have an tremendous impact on the health of our planet and it‘s inhabitants. According to the EPA somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Of those, millions end up in the litter stream outside of landfills. Once these non-biodegradable bags end up in our streams, they are there forever. Although plastic bags have an economic advantage over paper bags, store owners need to ban them because paper produces less energy consumption, solid waste, and waterborne waste.

Outline
I. Less Energy Consumption
A. Petroleum Usage
1. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, and plastic is made of polyethylene
2. Petroleum is diminishing, getting more expensive, we need it for other energy reasons like heating, lighting, transportation, etc
B. Production Contributes to Air pollution
1. Up to a trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year.
2. Substances emitted during production are synthetic
C. Global Warming
1. plastic production process
2. emissions from manufacturing
chemicals: ethylene oxide and benzene can cause problems like birth defects, cancer and affect the blood.
II. Less Solid Waste
A. Littering the Environment
1. Once they become litter, they end up in forests, parks, beaches, streets, etc.
2. Americans throw away billion per year, Since plastic does not undergo bacterial decomposition, land-filling plastic would mean preserving the poison forever.
B. Non-Biodegradable
1. The decomposition of plastic bags takes about 1000 years
2. As it breaks down, toxic waste leaks into the soil and food chain.
C. Recycling
1. Only a small fraction is recycled
2. Recycling plastic a toxic waste is eventually put back into the environment.
III. Waterborne Waste
A. Killing Sea Life
1. 100,000 animals: dolphins, sea turtles, whales, penguins, die each year by ingesting plastic bags.
2. Even worst the bag remains even after the animal decomposes.
B. Damaging Marine Ecosystem
1. Plastic bags floats on surface, breaking into increasingly smaller particles, but never completely disappearing.
2. As plastic particles circulate through oceans, they act as sponges for waterborne contaminants such pesticides.
C. Contaminated water
1. Human health impacts of toxic chemicals entering the marine food chain through plastics since we eat seafood.
2. Toxic seepage from the land fills, result in the contamination of precious water sources, the waste mass impedes the flow of ground water.

Reading Review #9 Nothing Wasted, Everything Gained = a lot for nothing!

The article Nothing Wasted, Everything Gained gives an intriguing insight into a community that wastes nothing, but gains everything! The Authors Alan Weisman and Antonin Kratochvil described a community that had very little expectations for sustaining life but was able to turn its natural resources into a self efficient community.

The article gives examples of what the community has created to sustain livable environment in a somewhat unlivable place. Examples such as hand pumps to generate clean water that conveniently hooked up to children’s seesaws as well as soil free hydroponic systems to grow crops as a food source and medicinal purposes. Although very intriguing, I think that the authors could have given more details and information about the community such as the background of the current civilization and why it seemed unlivable as well as the reasoning behind why the community was so peaceful. Was it just because they had a different way of life?

I like the idea of taking natural resources and finding ways to use them to your advantage especially in a place that is likely unlivable. The authors did a good job describing a few of the systems the community had in place and how they were able to sustain life by using their natural recourses.   I think the article and the community give a good perspective on how we can learn from this system, although I think more details would have been insightful and intriguing.

What I want out of Engl 213

Although this class is over the web and we don’t meet in person, it has been motivating, also stimulating for me. I want to become a better writer, have a stronger voice and argument in my writing. I would like to be able to follow an outline more easier to better organize my essays. I want to be able to write a thesis statement quicker. I love how we blog our assignments in this class, it has helped me become a more confident writer.

Response #10: Sea and Jungle

Planet Earth Season: 1/ Episode: 9 Shallow Seas

The Planet Earth Shallow Seas episode is so peaceful and relaxing to watch because of it’s beauty and the momentum of the waters. Although shallow waters occupy only 8 percent of the world’s oceans, they contain the vast majority of marine life.
Marine life migrate throughout the seasons for breeding and eating purposes. After summer months the Humpback whales travel to the shallow seas of the tropics to their breeding grounds. The male humpback whales sing harmoniously to attract it’s mates. The females stay in those shallow warm tropic waters to nurse their calf up to five months. The area is an excellent nursery because there are less predators, however there is no food there for the mother. The shallow waters are lifeless, therefore, she lives off fat reserves. Once the calf is strong enough they continue their journey to the poles in the spring. After they reach the feeding grounds, mother and calf part ways. The calf continues this voyage 70 more times throughout life.
The Aleutian Island chain is the gateway to the Bering Sea. In the spring when the sun starts to shine longer and the ice melts, the islands become the most productive waters on the planet. Over 20 million sea birds migrate in the spring and summer, it is the greatest concentration found on earth. The Bering Sea is also where the humpback whale migrates to, where the can eat up to 3 tons of krill a day. The sea and marine life are very spectacular and important to planet earth, though climate change is creating a huge impact. The climate definitely controls the food and environment for these beautiful creatures.

Planet Earth Season: 1/ Episode: 8 Jungles

The Planet Earth Jungles episode was fascinating, jungles are our world‘s hot house. Jungles cover merely 3 percent of our land, but contain half of the world’s species of plants and animals. One can find 250 species of trees. With the help of humidity and warmth sum tree can grow an outstanding 8 meters a year. Present are 44 different types of birds and monkeys. The primary food source for the jungle is the fig, which is available year round and can feed a diversity of animals. They animals get territorial over the trees and food source.
The scene with the chimpanzees, was most enjoyable. The chimps are fierce competitors and roam in large posses, some have been reports up to 150. They roam the jungles of Uganda, where the fig fruit is abundant. There was a part where the chimps snuck up on another group and fought over territory, ending in a bloody battle. Though they are aggressive, they won’t rule forever. The competitiveness for resources ensures that not one species dominates the jungle. The rainforest, jungles, and it’s great diversity has come at a cost. It is the most excellent balanced ecosystems of the world, although only to be upset and destroyed by the biggest ape of all, ourselves.

What I want from this class

What I want from this class is to improve my outline and drafting abilities for research papers.  I feel I have a good grasp of language but sometimes have a hard time organizing my thoughts into an essay that flows.

Response #9: Environmental Savvy

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website is full of resources we can use in our everyday lives. The site can be viewed by mobile phone or in 6 different languages, which is extremely versatile. The homepage offers you Press Release Info, Popular Topics and Major announcements, which is all first hand information.
The Administrator of the EPA is Lisa P. Jackson, along with a staff of 17,000 employees. The page presents a biography of her, her schedule and speeches she made. The EPA’s mission statement is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment–air, water, and land– upon which life depends. Jackson has also written and posted the 7 priorities of EPA’s future.
The page features the links, Learn the Issues, Science and Technology, Laws and Regulations, and About EPA. In Learn the Issues there is an endless supply of information on water, air, climate, wastes and pollution, green living, human health, ecosystems and learning more issues. The Science and Technology link is more for science research, current EPA-funded research, and research strategies, plans and grants. The Laws and Regulations link has a quick finder search link to make your search easier. Explains how environmental laws are enforced, how regulations are written and states that laws serve as EPA’s foundation for protecting the environment and public health. The last link was About EPA which has a location finder for EPA offices, employee directory and contact info.
The EPA website is accurate and resourceful for all types of environmental and health projects. The site is so great it can be used be beginners and advanced students or professionals.