Journal 11

I will use this journal as my one journal I do not have to do.

Journal 13

As of now living in the dorms it is a difficult thing to really step out on my own and cut consumption, I can do small things though like shut lights off, reduce my shower times, and unplug electronics which would have some effect. I think though when I am on my own to really quit relying so much on electronics is to live in the country like I plan. Growing up I was always outside, so there was no need to have electronics or lights on, could have the a/c turned up since most times it was dark before we came home so no reason to actively keep the house cold. I think by living in cities people have lost touch with the environment, by living away from that traveling out will not be as big of a thing since the drive will be longer so trips will be more effective and need based. I could have a small garden to have vegetables grown and help the soil gain nourishment. This would not mean living in a shack, I could still have modern amenities, and it would just mean less use of them since my time could be filled with other activities. If more people lived this way we could have a large effect on the global footprint, while still having a comfortable lifestyle with above average things. The main question is though is if our society will allow this change to happen, yes a small group can make a large impact but with millions of people, millions of actions must be taken.

Journal 12

My ecological footprint was about average for the nation, but that is entirely too high. While doing the quiz I actually had to think about some of the things I do on a daily bases and realized that I thought I was doing a better job than what I am. What I noticed is by cutting down on one thing I could cut down on others at the same time. A large way I could do it, would be to cut my trips to the store down, this would reduce my miles travled in a car and also cut back on the amount of food I purchased from restaurants since most trips would be to the supermarket for large quanities of food. If I did not live in the dorms I could have a small garden which again would cut down on my usage of the environment but also give back to the earth. Most of the appliances in my home are energy efficient and all the lights are, but I do not unplug items when I am not using them, that would cut back on usage. If I could work on the small things, a large cutback would be seen, it would not drastically change my lifestyle, but it would have an effect on how much my carbon footprint was. Every little reduction helps, and if over a large scale it could really reduce what is happening to the world as a whole. When I saw it would take 5 earths to sustain the whole world living on my lifestyle it made me think how selfish I am being, if I have that much effect, what would happen if it was only 4 earths or less.

Journal 10

Aldo talks about how our ethics have changed from years ago when women and slaves were considered property and the owners could do what they wanted to them and no one minded what happened to them. Now property is not people and times have progressed where that is unlawful to do. Yet the way we treat our land has not changed. People still worry about their own well being and don’t seem to care about the effects they have on others property or well being as long as they are doing ok. The land has been stripped clear in some areas for the benefit of the few with the harm of the majority, yet our ethics allow this to be ok. Since this person owns the property whatever they do is ok even if they have a negative effect on other areas. Ideas to prevent this were put on the table; people had options on how to prevent some of this and were offered help as long as they made sustainable, good decisions. Most of the people took the help, but did not keep up with the sustainable, good decisions. Some were given the option to even write their own rules on how to farm and keep soils nourished, yet they did not even write those, instead they took the help for their own benefit and did not hold up their part. I think what is being said is maybe it is more than our methods that need to be looked at, we should look at our ethics as a whole also to truly make a change. Things need to be changed fundamentally so that is common nature for people to be sustainable instead of it requiring constant reminder.

Journal Number 9

A free market economy is great for the individual but as a whole not so great. If someone has the ability to make an extra dollar, or get ahead of the competition, most people will do so without thinking of the long term effects to a resource or an area. The example from Wikipedia of cows grazing is a perfect example, if the farmer can make more money from one cow he doesn’t care if that extra cow destroys the field for other farmers since he will only see the benefits. As a society though we all love this idea though, personally I do also, but it does not provide the perfect sustainable environment. Sometimes you need some sort of watchdog, or regulations on the exact amount of what can be used by each person to continue a resource for a long period of time. Its not something people like to hear, but as the oil consumption rises, and food supplies begin to deplete we may need to have some sort of control taken over some items if we are to use them in the future. The problem is, if I decide to cut back on how much oil I sell to customers, someone else will up their supply to make up for the new demand, consequently taking away the benefits of sustainability. I don’t think that we need more government control, I feel that is our right as people to make our own choices, but in some situations we must be protected from ourselves and realize that for the whole system to benefit and for us to personally benefit later down the road we must have some sort of intervention slowing us down.