Green Observer Winter 2018 Issue by Green Observer Magazine

T H E

G R E E N

O B S E R V E R

WINTER 2018

VOLUME 7. ISSUE II

ARTIFICIAL RHINO HORN A LOOK INTO ARTIFICIAL SOLUTIONS TO CONSERVATION PROBLEMS PAGE 4

NATIONAL PARKS A JOURNEY INTO NATURE PAGE 12

MINIMALISM

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MINIMALIST PAGE 16

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E DI TO RS- I N - CH I EF

social justice | environmental protection | faith in action | global engagement

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TABL E O F C O N T E N T S ARTIFICIAL RHINO HORN

MICROBEAD MANAGEMENT: WHERE ARE WE NOW?

MARGARET ATWOODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ORYX AND CRAKE

DOES YOUR HAMBURGER CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?

SUBURBIA: A TALE OF NOT-SO-GREEN LAWNS

PRIORITIZE PARK PROTECTION

WHEN WILL THE BONEYARD COME OUT AND PLAY?

THE SHAKING EARTH

MY TRANSITION INTO MINIMALISM

CLEANER INDIA, GREENER INDIA

WHERE ARE YOU AANG

GREEN IT YOURSELF

MEET TH E G O T E A M

ELISE SNYDER

NOAH SIMON

LAURA SCHULTZ

fundraising chair

copy editor

treasurer & social media chair

DAN JAMROZIK webmaster

ADDITIONAL STAFF

Margaret Golden

ANA MENDOZA

MATTHEW MARTINEZ

Advertising Chair

distribution chair

ABBI PSTRZOCH

HUSSAIN KURAWADWALA

DANIEL LIN

Art Chair

YMCA liason

layout editor

Remy Crowleyfarenga

Abigale Pstrzoch

Zack Fishman

Laura Whipple Ana Mendoza Jack Duffy Ella Liskiewicz Melissa Swire

Tianai Chen

Sabrina Zhang

Taiya Tkachuk

Donna Dimitrova

Vishesh Anand

Andrew Dunham

Shelby Jobs

Sowmiya Raju

Alida de Flamingh

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Alida de Flamingh

ARTIFICIAL RHINO HORN: AN A RT IF I C I A L SO L U T I O N ?

ANIMAL-LOVERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS REGARD RHINOS AS CHARISMATIC MEGAFAUNA (ABOVE). THE SALE OF FAKE RHINO HORN MAY PUT THESE ENDANGERED ANIMALS AT EVEN GREATER RISK

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Rhinos are worth more dead than alive. In South Africa, owning a rhino is a liability rather than a privilege. This is because rhinoceros horn is revered in some countries as a medicine and status symbol that promotes health, wealth, and prosperity. A kilogram of horn can cost up to $65 000, exceeding the value of gold, diamonds, or cocaine. This fountain of youth, however, is sure to dry up sooner rather than later. There has been an exponential increase in rhino poaching, especially in Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, the four countries that collectively host 98.8% of all rhinos in Africa. Only three of five species of rhino remain, and one of those – the northern white rhino - is extinct in the wild with only three non-breeding individuals left in captivity.

proaches that aim at addressing the cause of the problem by decreasing demand.

Animal-lovers and conservationists regard rhinos as charismatic megafauna (above). The sale of fake rhino horn may put these endangered animals at even greater risk (animalrescueblog/flickr, CC BY-NC). Biotechnology companies in the U.S. and China, in effort to reduce rhino poaching, are looking to manufacture and distribute artificial rhino horn that closely mimics the real thing. These companies aim at creating fake horn that is indistinguishable in appearance and composition from real rhino horn. One of these companies, California-based Pembient Bioengineered Wildlife Products, aims to fight poaching by replacing the illegal wildlife trade. Pembient cofounder and CEO Matthew Markus argues that flooding the market with a steady supply of fake horn will keep prices low, thereby decreasing poaching profits. Many think artificial horn is a promising alternative, but it might prove to be more of a Trojan Horse. There is no evidence that the distribution of artificial rhino horn will stop poaching. Instead it is likely to increase the demand for and harvest of real, genuine horn. There are many other concerns related to the use and distribution of fake horn. For example, selling fake horn may falsely back the unproven notion that rhino horn has medicinal properties. The distribution and sale of fake horn will be difficult to regulate, and may create or strengthen avenues of illegal international trade of endangered animal products, providing a loophole to illegal traffickers. As the Commission on Life Sciences eloquently put it more than three decades ago, we can solve ecological problems by using approaches that focus on either the symptoms or the causes of those problems. In the case of rhino poaching, one can argue that the value of rhino horn, be it medicinal or status orientated, provides an incentive that causes the problem. Addressing the symptoms of the rhino poaching problem would mean trying to find ways of satisfying the demand for rhino horn, for example by substituting real horn with manufactured synthetic horn. Such approaches differ from ap-

RAW RHINO HORN IS OFTEN PROCESSED INTO POWDER THAT IS SOLD AS MEDICINE. SELLING FAKE HORN MAY FALSELY BACK THE UNPROVEN NOTION THAT RHINO HORN HAS MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

This is troubling when you consider that rhino poaching is increasing at an unprecedented rate, and subsequent symptoms are also likely to intensify as poaching increases. Imagine then how the cause of poaching – the value of rhino horn - will be further increased by the demand for pure, authentic horn. Flooding the market with fake horn will likely lead to an increase in the value of real horn, fortifying the cause of the problem as consumers pay more and more to guarantee the authenticity of the product that they are buying. Ultimately, this may result in an even more radical demand for horn. How then should we deal with the cause of rhino poaching? Simple, decrease the demand for rhino horn. This will automatically nullify the need to find alternative solutions such as fake rhino horn. There should be a focus on awareness, education, and international diplomacy, specifically targeting consumers of rhino horn. Money and time spent on the manufacturing of fake horn or alternative solutions could be directly implemented in educational programs that can liberate horn users. Unlike artificial horn, educating and creating policy coalitions with consumers and consumer countries can impact the root of the problem by ultimately lessening the demand for rhino horn. Addressing causes rather than symptoms will result in sustainable solutions for ecological problems. We should follow the advice of American writer Anthony J. D’Angelo: “When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.”

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Laura Whipple

M I C R O B E A D M A N A G E M E N T:

W H E RE AR E WE NOW?

You might have forgotten about them, but two years ago microbeads were all the rage, literally. The tiny plastic particles used in cosmetics were a topic of hot debate in 2015 and 2016 after word got around that aquatic wildlife were treating them as a snack. Unfortunately, this kind of snack was soaking up toxins and causing starvation. But what was the fate of those microscopic polluters? Since people started speaking out against the use of microbeads in 2012, four countries have banned the use of microbeads—Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States—with Australia, India, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and the UK all looking to follow suit. Almost 450 brands have promised to stop using plastic microbeads, and environmentally safe alternatives are being investigated. However, there are still plenty of nations contributing to the problem. From China alone, an estimated 210 trillion

microbeads flow into the ocean every year. Any country in the European Union looking to implement a similar ban may end up breaking the organization’s free trade policies. The United States’ ban has issues of its own. The current ban only applies to microbeads used in facial washes, body washes, and toothpastes, but it does nothing to prevent the use of microplastics in detergents or makeup. Biodegradable beads come with their own set of problems. It is unclear how long it takes for them to biodegrade, and in the meantime they can pick up and introduce toxins to the food chain. The world is doing better since the “Ban the Bead” campaigns started back in 2015, but there is still a long way to go. As always, the consumer has the power of purchasing on their side. Don’t forget to use it by refusing to buy products that contain polyethylene or polypropylene, which the two ingredients microbeads are typically made of. With a time and awareness, we can continue to work to #banthebead.

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Shelby Job

T H OU GH TS O N E COC R IT IC IS M A ND M AR GA RE T ATWO OD’ S ORYX A ND C RA K E

From Walt Whitman to Japanese poetry and Native American oral traditions, people around the globe have always had a habit of expressing their concern and articulating their inescapable relationship with their natural environment through literature. Whether they spoke of the environment with a delicate love, or expressed an anxiety for nature’s hostile interaction with them, they felt the need to communicate it to others — both people like and unlike them. This human tendency has not disappeared despite humanity’s growing dependency on urbanization; however, the way authors regard the modern natural environment has morphed. Recent fiction that fixates on humans’ relationship with nature, commonly called ecocritical literature, tends to focus on the negative impacts humanity has, can, or will have on their environment. It also addresses the unsettling idea of succession: of nature reclaiming what has been taken from it. A great example of such fiction is Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Oryx and Crake is an exemplary piece of fiction when discussing the idea of the uncanny and its repeated occurrence in ecocriticism. The story is narrated from the perspective of Snowman, previously known as Jimmy in the time before he becomes the last surviving human (or so he thinks). Chapter to chapter, the story flip-flops between

narration of Snowman’s present condition — in which he is struggling to cope with his isolated state — and his past self which recounts of both his childhood and young adulthood. While Atwood must be commended for her beautifully scripted plot, which is embellished with hints of mysticism, and her ability to force the reader into a contradiction with themselves, her capacity to aptly describe the consequences of human interaction with the environment must be the focal point of analysis. Atwood crafts a scenario that while extreme, is probable and based in science. Her inclusion of small details in order to build a more impressive whole demands the reader to pay careful attention to nature’s interaction with the characters and vice versa. In this talent lies the genius of the novel: it has the ability to open readers’ eyes to the importance of mindfulness in regards to human-nature interactions. Spotted on the shelf, Oryx and Crake cannot be immediately identified as an ecocritical novel; thus, it attracts a broader audience and consequently invokes more readers to think about humanity’s current relationship with the earth. This — the ability to be a vehicle for thought — is literature’s purpose. For a thoughtful and entertaining read, pick up a copy of Oryx and Crake!

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Ella Liskiewicz

D O ES Y OUR H AMB UR G ER C ONT R IB U TE T O CL IMATE CH ANG E?

In this day and age, it seems that so-called “fad diets” are becoming more and more popular, especially among millennials and young adults. Aside from all of the more extreme diets - such as the grapefruit only diet or taking shots of apple cider vinegar to boost metabolism - there is a rising market for vegetarian and vegan diets across our population. Most of these fad diets are not based upon actual scientific evidence. However, veganism and vegetarianism are two diets that have been shown to benefit both your personal health and the health of our environment. According to a New York Times article published in 2014, roughly 12% of all millennials are “faithful vegetarians,” while only 4% of those belonging to Generation X and 1% of baby-boomers identify as such. The reasons for this new popularity vary across different people; some may feel very strongly about animal

rights, while others may just want to live a healthier lifestyle. Whatever the reasoning may be, the data shows that more and more people are switching to plant-based diets, which has many positive impacts on the environment. Most people have seen or heard of those documentaries about the horrible conditions that animals are subjected to in slaughterhouses across the globe. There are many documentaries that show extremely graphic images of cows and pigs being loaded onto conveyor belts and mutilated as if they were not living creatures. Generally, whenever anyone sees images of animals being treated poorly, they get infuriated. hink of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) commercials (A.K.A. the one with the Sarah McLachlan song) or even posts on social media that show

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people treating animals poorly. Typically, people react very strongly to these types of images because they feel humans should not be harming innocent and helpless animals that cannot defend themselves. This reasoning makes complete sense; however, if we feel so strongly about animals being mistreated in front of a video camera, why is it that when it comes to the animals being slaughtered for food, we care significantly less? The issue seems to be most important when we are shown the injustice happening right in front of us, which is common for any issue that we face in our society. For instance, people would not be paying much attention to the issue of police brutality had an enormous amount of videos depicting police mistreatment not begun to surface in recent years.. Advocating for animal rights on a regular basis, not just when animal cruelty can be seen, is a big reason why some environmental activists switch to plant-based diets. So, once we are shown these images and realize that there are inhumane acts occurring, the next step is to take action. One of the ways that we as consumers can take action against animal cruelty is to switch to plant-based diets. Not only will we help ourselves by living a healthier lifestyle, but we are protecting innocent animals from being subjected to cruelty. Furthermore, we are protecting the environment. According to an article posted by the Georgetown Environmental Law Review in 2015, roughly 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions were directly caused by livestock production in 2006. To put it in perspective, livestock production contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions than transportation. Greenhouse gases are produced by animal agriculture mostly through waste, which releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane is one of the best heat-trapping chemicals - even better than carbon dioxide. It is about 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period. Scientists from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization have measured the amount of methane in the atmosphere and have concluded that livestock and other agricultural practices have contributed to 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions each year. In addition to its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, animal agriculture has had some serious impacts on the environment in a variety of other ways. For instance, overexploitation of the world’s fisheries has led to 75% of all fisheries on Earth being depleted or overused The depletion of fisheries means that there are significantly lower levels of fish in certain areas of the ocean, which can lead to economic and political issues as well as environmental ones. Furthermore, the emphasis on the animal agriculture industry by the U.S. government (as well as other countries) has led to issues with wildlife and deforestation. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Bureau of Land Management have created programs that kill wildlife that threaten ranch or farm animals This has lead to the rounding up of wild horses and a severe decline of wolf populations in the Pacific Northwest. In regards to deforestation, since animal

agriculture is a highly profitable industry, governments in places like Brazil have cleared much of their tropical forests, which are home to an incredible amount of biodiversity, in order to create more land for cattle ranches and fields for grazing. Last but certainly not least, the livestock industry consumes about 55 trillion gallons of water per year on average. To top it all off, it takes about 5,000 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef for consumption. After reading all of these facts about the animal agriculture industry, you may be wondering what it is that you can do to help. The most significant way to make any changes to the current agricultural trends is to change the way consumers think about their food. One way to help is to switch your diet to be more plant-based; according to Dana Hunnes, a UCLA professor, our food supply could increase by 49% if everyone in the U.S. switched to a more plant-based diet. In addition, we would reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and use significantly less water and energy with an agricultural industry that focuses more on plants than livestock. All in all, it is safe to say that there are many positive impacts that you can make (both for yourself and for the Earth) by eating more plants and less animal products. The only challenge now is to make the decision and stick with it. For helpful tips and ideas about vegetarian meals, check our “Meatless Monday” section of this issue!

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Taiya Tkachuk

S U B U R B I A: A TALE O F N O T- S O G R EEN L AWN S

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Once upon a time, there was a neighborhood comprised of rows of houses that stretched endlessly along paved roads, hugged by neatly-trimmed patches of grass, and illuminated by fresh water drops from sprinklers. In this ideal town, families would laugh passing by in their minivans that carried children to good neighborhood schools and parents to work downtown in comfort. Later, the parents would drive home and pick up their kids from after school activities, make a stop at the supermarket, and return to their safe, greenlawned havens to finish the evening with a family meal in a spacious dining room. This is the modern fairytale - Suburbia: dreamed of by many, yet its implications considered by few. Common images that come to mind when thinking about unsustainability and pollution are overcrowded city streets and black smoke piping out of buildings. This makes it hard to imagine how a neat, sunny suburb could even come close to having the same level of environmental damage. A sustainable urban city can be seen as an oxymoron by definition, as no city, as currently conceived, can be sustainable on its own. Cities are incomplete human ecosystems, as they are primarily consumers that rely on countrysides to supply enormous quantities of food and degrade massive quantities of waste. Yet, according to Popular Science, suburbia’s carbon footprint is actually four times the size of urban residents’. There are a number of reasons why suburbs are ecologically unsustainable, one of the most prominent ones being that they tend to span for miles outwards from urban centers. This results in residents being forced to drive much longer distances to get to work, releasing enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. On the other hand, city dwellers are much more likely to rely on walking, biking, or public transportation to commute to work, as the distances between housing and job sites are much shorter. According to the Philadelphia Design Advocacy Group, city transportation developments such as subways lines tend to be larger and more robust to best serve all residents of the city, connecting places that many citizens want to go. Contrastingly, there is no municipal body that oversees such development across suburbs, resulting in infrastructure that makes little sense, such as streets that don’t lead to anywhere in particular, or giant parking lots in front of strip malls that make pedestrian traffic difficult between shops. Furthermore, suburbs offer residents larger homes with more lawn space for less money due to lower population density, which results in higher energy demands for heating and electricity. Even though the size of the average American

family is shrinking, bigger and bigger houses are being built with stick-style construction that is inexpensive, but not built to withstand more than one hundred years, resulting in the usage of more materials to rebuild homes in the future. Another issue is that residential lawns themselves, picturesque representations of the suburban beauty ideal, greatly contribute to environmental degradation. They are artificially constructed environments that require chemical solutions, energy-demanding machines, and large quantities of water to upkeep. In cities, there is not as much space to construct large homes with sprawling lawns, and living spaces are more compact and expensive. This encourages citizens to consider housing options more proportional to the realistic spatial needs of their families. The thoughtless waste of resources for economic benefits of construction companies and aesthetics in suburbs proves to be an unsustainable system in need of reform. Additionally, suburbs make it more difficult for local businesses to survive due to the popularity of widespread, large chain stores. In cities, small businesses have more opportunities to thrive due to residents’ ability to walk to the nearest grocery store or boutique. In many suburbs, the nearest place to find groceries demands a car ride at least several miles away. Small businesses are more sustainable as they are more likely to receive their products from local sources, such as local gardens or artisans, versus large warehouses stocked with imported goods. Cities’ easier access to small stores makes the community’s economy thrive while encouraging more environmentally-friendly product distribution. So, if cities are inherently no good, and suburbs are even worse, where should we live? While there is no one right answer, cities and suburbs at the very least need to begin to reintegrate and combine the areas in which we live and work, as well as produce and consume within our own means. Although suburbs could make many improvements based on what is found in cities, urban regions also need to begin to develop centers for producing their own food and sustainable energy instead of relying on imports from outside areas. With this idea, what we now call cities will begin to transform into more complete ecosystems, rather than isolated fragments of preexisting ones. The thing about fairy tales is that it is easy to get caught up in their imaginary world where life is simple, instead of focusing on the complexities of the real world.. Yet, with time, the dreamland fades away and reality will catches up. Our job is to make adjustments to the way we live now so that the harsh truth does not hit when we have run out of time to recover.

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Maggie Golden

PR I ORITI ZE PARK PR OT EC T ION TOP LEFT: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK IN MONTANA TOP RIGHT: YELLOWSTONE NAITONAL PARK IN WYOMING BOTTOM RIGHT: OLYPIMPIC NATIONAL PARK IN WASHINGTON BACKGROUND: OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK IN WASHINGTON

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Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the National Park System. To celebrate, a friend and I decided to take a road trip across the Pacific Northwest during the last two weeks of the summer. By its end, the trip consisted of fourteen days of travel to ten different states and four national parks. We saw steep canyons in the Badlands, gushing geysers in Yellowstone, old-growth forests in Olympic, traveled the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier, and so much more. Visiting national parks truly benefits the mind, body, and soul in many wonderful ways. With that said, the National Park System needs our help now more than ever â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and visiting them is one of the best ways to help. Below I have included a few of my favorite pictures from the trip in an effort to encourage you to help protect the parks by visiting or donating whenever possible! The mission of the national parks system is to: â&#x20AC;&#x153;preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.â&#x20AC;?

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Andrew Dunham

W H EN WI LL TH E B ONEYA R D C OME O U T A ND PL AY? was forgotten one hundred years. The community has made strides in reconnecting with the Boneyard but much of it is still obscured.How can we, the people, reach it? The creek has made considerable rebounds in the past few decades. Fish, albeit only tiny minnows, have returned to the once dead waterway. The flooding problem has been mitigated by the construction of the aforementioned basins. It’s viable but it’s not yet healthy; much of the bed is concrete, it’s still largely channelized, and few plants grow alongside it, preventing the intermingling of plants and animals necessary for a healthy creek ecosystem. But maybe we can improve the environment by introducing humans. Human impacts typically aren’t considered as environmentally-friendly, so let me explain. Boneyard Creek has been little more than an afterthought throughout much of Champaign-Urbana’s history and development. By the 1900s, the creek became a drainage ditch, squeezed behind Green Street like an alleyway. The cities didn’t build around the shallow tributary - they built on top of it. The creek was channelized and forced into tunnel so the whole riverbed was covered in concrete. What remained of it was hidden with fences (sometimes fitted with barbed wire) that ensured that nobody would be able to interact with the creek and furthered the notion that it should be forgotten. The creek had other plans. A few floods in the 1970s and 90s quickly reminded the people of Champaign-Urbana that they could not ignore their stream. After all, concrete doesn’t soak up floodwater. It spills over and seep into your basements, it gets your feet wet, it floods Green Street, and Campustown grinds to a halt. Around 2000, the issue of flooding was partly resolved by a large basin situated between Green Street, First Street, Springfield Avenue, and the railroad tracks on the far western fringe of Campustown. The basin is about one square block and completely fenced off. It is devoid of trees, and the overgrown grass is the only semblance of nature that can be found. Looking north, the sign for an adult superstore can be seen over a large wooden fence. For the next decade, this was the closest Campustown residents could get to being reacquainted with their resident waterway. Roughly ten years later, the Second Street Basin opened. It continued to serve the purpose of the first drainage pit but also allowed for something new: recreation. Green space with trees and native plants line the bowl, opening up to a pond where geese swim.. This, along with the reintroduction of Boneyard Creek into the Engineering Quad, helped reacquaint students with Champaign-Urbana’s only waterway that

Throughout much of its course in Urbana, the creek is not only fenced off, but walled into a tiny tomb by concrete. There are a few feet on either side of the creek that are currently owned by the City of Urbana, but this space is neglected and abandoned.. We could put that little buffer of about five feet on either side to work. Removing the Boneyard’s concrete casing, rebuilding a riverbank, and allowing the creation of a natural riverbed would greatly improve the creek overall. The additional space would allow a pseudonatural slope as an attempt to rectify the century of waterway alterations and afford us the opportunity to replace the current scrub plants with natural plantings and healthy trees. Humans can enjoy this reintroduction, too.

A space for a pedestrian walkway running parallel to the creek would let people enjoy this small stretch of nature within an old neighborhood. Not only would this provide an amenity and a much-needed park for West Urbana, but it has the potential to raise awareness and concern about the

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health of the creek and help residents realize how important our only waterway is. It is extremely hard to build public interest for a creek that is designed to be ignored and deliberately hidden from view. Although flooding has been mostly resolved using a complex system of retention basins, maybe it’s time we let nature do some of the work for us. Trees and long grasses are extremely thirsty plants and they can alleviate some of the monetary strain placed on municipal systems. Aside from providing clean air, these same plants also have benefits for mental health, happiness levels, and overall neighborhood beautification. North Champaign also has a small stretch of the creek that winds for a few blocks north of the basin. This stretch is mostly open, but it has the appearance of a drainage ditch, rather than an important waterway for the area. Incorporating wetlands and replacing the large swaths of grass with more absorbent natural plantings would both help the chronic

flooding that plagues the underserved north side and provide a desperately needed park. Of course, this won’t be easy. This is simply an idea of how we can embrace our waterway. Urbana’s Comprehensive Plan states that they’re committed to a healthy creek, yet there is no long term plan to reclaim the creek for public use. It will be pricey, and eminent domain may have to be used for a few feet of some of the properties, and spatial constraints (like along Green Street) or actual buildings atop the creek make daylighting the creek extremely unfeasible in the short term. But why not do what we can? Cities everywhere have learned the value of clean waterways. If Pittsburgh can reclaim its three riverfronts, what’s stopping ChampaignUrbana from opening up a mile or two of a creek? The Boneyard may slowly make its way back into student life and life in C-U overall. We only have one waterway, let’s do right by it.

Ana Mendoza

T HE SHAKI N G E ART H Did you know that the Richter scale, the logarithmic scale used to measure earthquake magnitudes, doesn’t have a maximum number it goes up to, but magnitude 9 is the highest ever recorded? Such earthquakes are powerful and they come with some serious consequences. For example, Mexico was recently hit with one of the biggest earthquakes the country has seen since 2004, leaving devastating effects on the nation. The damage included collapsed buildings that amount to millions of dollars’ worth of repairment, leaving many homeless and at least 300 injured. On September 7th, 2017, a magnitude 8.1 was felt throughout Mexico, with its epicenter in the Pacific Ocean and a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43 miles). This makes it a relatively shallow earthquake and results in more intense shaking. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) even reported multiple aftershocks, including at least six tremors measuring above 5.0 in magnitude, and a one meter tsunami confirmed to be headed for Mexico. Earthquakes are inevitable, but are there ways to lessen the damage? Contrary to popular films and media, the Earth does not rip open during an earthquake. Rather, there is intense shaking for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.

Instead of people being swallowed by the Earth, the biggest cause of death is falling buildings, which can be mitigated through better zoning and regulations. Although there is not much one can do to anticipate earthquakes, there are things you can do if you even find yourself in an earthquake. It is imperative that you get on your knees, cover your head and neck from debris and stay put until shaking ends. If you find yourself in a building that threatens to collapse, exit quickly and put as much distance between you and the building as possible. For more information on earthquake readiness, visit https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes.

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Sowmiya Raju

MY TRAN SIT ION INT O

MI NI M A L I S M

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My earliest exposure to the concept of minimalism was the minimal art on Instagram and minimalism room decor videos on YouTube, which I used to shamelessly watch over and over again. Back then, minimalism to me was just a term given to a certain type of art or design. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college, when I first stumbled upon the documentary ‘Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things’, that I was introduced to minimalism as a way of life. I watched the trailer and realized how weird it was that for the past two years I’d been living a lifestyle that actually had a name. On top of that, it was being promoted and popularized by two very successful ex-business men that call themselves The Minimalists. Minimalism is essentially a lifestyle that focuses on letting go of things that cause stress, restraint on freedom and happiness, drainage of emotional energy and the like. It focuses on saving our time and energy for quality things that really matter and bring us long-term happiness. Living on less through minimalism applies to every aspect of an individual’s life, from giving up materialistic things that we no longer use, to better management of finances as well as letting go of relationships that bring us more worry than happiness. The first step I ever took toward minimalism was a year after I moved into a new room back home. Like my mom, I had the habit of collecting random and often useless things simply because I ‘couldn’t throw them out’ or because ‘they might be useful someday.’ I also spent an unhealthy amount of money on anything I found that was unusually cheap just because ‘hey, you never know when they’ll be this cheap again!’ But as I entered my junior year in high school, I decided to make major changes to my life. As I battled through anxiety issues and constant dispiritedness, I reevaluated the

people I surrounded myself with. I let go of all the stressful and overly demanding relationships and made sure to keep the people worth my while, made me happy, and reciprocated my affection. I have to say it felt great. Towards the end of that journey, I realized that the New Year was right around the corner. As it had been my habit for the last 3 years, it was time for me to adopt another resolution that would ensure that I did my part in protecting the environment. It was then that I made a decision to ‘live on less’ to not only reduce personal consumption and exploitation of resources but also help the betterment of my mental health. Minimalism has, by far, been the biggest step I’ve taken towards living a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly life. As a minimalist, I not only use less and thus leave behind a smaller environmental impact, but this lifestyle also allows me to produce less waste and value quality goods. Lowering my overall consumption has meant that I refrain from purchasing anything I don’t absolutely need. In my experience, this has helped me save money for quality necessities that will last longer. Although the lifestyle is flexible in its definition depending on the person that adopts it, it is primarily about refraining from indulgence and use of more than is necessary for our sustenance and happiness. Many of the environmentalists I follow argue that the biggest environmental issue that we face today is the overconsumption of resources. Overconsumption leads to increasing exploitation of natural resources, destruction of natural habitats, production of hazardous waste, and air and water pollution. From my experience living a minimalist lifestyle as an average college student, I have to say the minimalist lifestyle is an excellent way to combat this very issue, as well as many others.

Read Green. Live Green.

Vishesh Anand

C L EA NER I N DI A, G R EENER INDIA “I will go with the future generations … we must leave for our future generations a climate wherein they can breathe clean air and have a healthy life,” was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response when he was asked about India’s commitment to the Paris Climate Change deal. He vowed that his nation would go “above and beyond” the 2015 accord. While we often take the promises of career politicians with a grain of salt, Narendra Modi’s commitment to the environment has been constant and cannot be questioned. His steadfast and environmentally-conscious beliefs about how India should be in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life have been so powerful that they won him the election and are bringing about a much needed ‘behavior change’ in the country. On the campaign trail in 2014, one of Modi’s key promises was to make the country Open-Defecation free by 2019. While sanitation and hygiene may seem like basic necessities accessible to all, the Indian government has lacked the resources and capital to provide them to all of its constituents of 1.2 billion. This problem has been particularly severe in the rural areas of the nation, where literacy rates are also low. In a 2015 survey by the Kulhar Research Organisation, they found that the toilets in India only provide coverage for 39% of the population. To combat this and other sanitation and cleanliness issues, Modi spearheaded the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Yogana (the Clean India Movement). This initiative was met with widespread support and has made groundbreaking progress thus far. Towards the goal of making India open-defecation free, there have been 55.2 million toilets built in the past 3 years as 248,000 villages, 1,200 cities, and five states have been declared open-defecation free. In comparison, there were only about 300,000 toilets built in the 10 years prior to the commencement of the movement. A follow-up survey by the Kulhar Organisation in 2017 found that toilet coverage has increased significantly to 69% of the population today. What is most remarkable about the progress of the Clean India Movement is the approach the government employed. The policies and programs used by the government were entrepreneurial and community-driven in nature. To reach the lower socioeconomic strata, the government began sanctioning loans solely for the purpose of building toilets. In addition to that, they also subsidised the cost of the required materials and connected the borrowers to contractors so that they could finish the process. Furthermore, the government has equipped public toilets in larger cities with showering facilities to increase hygiene levels and quality of life for the homeless. The Clean India Movement, a five year program, has been pervasive in other areas of urban development as well. It is closely linked with the Smart Cities Mission, an urban renewal and retrofitting program to stimulate economic growth and

improve quality of life in one hundred cities of the nation. This mission has also amassed a considerable amount of support because of its ingenious structure. The cities selected for the program are rated on criteria such as cleanliness, tourism, infrastructure, et cetera; and proceed to compete with each other for funding. The higher on the rankings your city is, the more funding it gets, and thus has a better urban landscape. This system has been particularly effective in getting the public involved, which is evident from the dramatic increase in the numbers of cleanliness drives and environmental awareness rallies. Moreover, the government also

released an app to track the aforementioned rankings in addition to being a medium for the users to connect with their municipality offices about any issues that need attention. In addition to their urban plans, the Indian government has also altered their economic and energy policies to become more environmentally responsible. Renewable energy sources are being subsidised while small hydropower projects are being undertaken to power rural areas. Recently, some state governments took charge of the war on climate change and banned the sale of firecrackers in the face of Diwali. This was met with a heavy backlash from the public as a popular way of celebrating Diwali is by bursting firecrackers. However, the dissent is expected to subside as the ‘behavior change’ that Modi has been urging is slowly manifesting. Sch that the future of India looks cleaner and greener with every coming day.

The Green Observer Magazine

W H E RE AR E YOU A A NG

Sabrina Zhang

Read Green. Live Green.

Tianai Chen

GRE E N I T Y O UR S E L F : C AND LES I have always enjoyed using candles to create a nice mood in the evening, but there is always some wax left over after burning them. This craft gives you a way to recycle used candles and make them into new ones.

Step 1:

First, we need to melt the candles. You may put the glass candle jar directly into the pot, and put it on medium heat. It will take no more than 5 minutes to melt down the entire candle.

Step 3:

Now we just have to wait for the candle to cool down. You might want to place the jar into the ice water to speed up the process, but it is completely optional.

What You’ll Need:

• Old candles • Wick base (you can get this from the old candle) • Cotton string • Scissors • tweezers

If you don’t have a pot or the oven, a microwave could also work.

Step 4:

After the first layer is completely cooled down, we can go ahead and pour in another layer. Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 until we fill up the candle jar.

Disclaimer: Before starting this GIY, be sure the candle’s container is made of material that can be reheated (i.e. glass).

Step 2:

Take the wick base out of your old candle, remove the remaining wick, and replace it with the cotton string. By holding the cotton string, carefully attach the base onto the bottom of the glass candle jar which filled with melted wax with some tweezers.

Step 5:

Once the wax hardens, we need to trim the cotton string to about a quarter inch above the wax. And then, we are done!

RE A D G RE E N . L I VE GR EEN.