Ecologic
Volume 2
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Thank you to all that participated in this class assignment. This was our second attempt at an e-magazine that is written by citizens. We are not scientists or politicians. We are simply students trying to learn about our environment. We are discovering the basics of our environment and looking at how it affects our life, health, economics, government and global community.
The following group of essays is what we discovered about the importance of water, Companies and their products, and our thoughts of the environment. We encourage you to seek out this information for yourself. What is important to you? How can you help? Can you make a difference? Can you teach someone about our environment? We hope you look into the environment and find something to be passionate about. Thank you for reading our magazine. It was a pleasure to put together. My many thanks to my students for having an open heart and mind. Good luck to you all.
This first set of articles is dedicated to water issues; including, quality, scarcity and disputes over water rights. Students read articles from Freshwater crisis National Geographic. Retrieved from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-crisis. The assignment was to grab your attention, teach you something and make you think. I hope you find them interesting and thought provoking. Remember to find out more on your own from great sites like National Geographic. Aquifers Are People Too Derik Butkovic Groundwater, who cares about groundwater? It’s the naturally replenishing source of nourishment that will be around forever right? The rain comes, filters through soil and ends up in aquifers, made up of soil sand and rocks. Pretty simple right? How can that not be replenished, it rains and snows all the time so the aquifers are constantly being refilled. Well they are, just not in proportion to the growth rate of our world population. Okay so all we have to do is make sure we don’t pollute our aquifers, right? Yeah that’s a big part of it considering it’s contaminated by run-off containing chemical pesticides and fertilizers that make our lawns just oh so green and pretty. But as of now nearly 50% of Americans get their drinking water from groundwater. America is also the third largest irrigator in the world, now I know what you’re thinking, “Hold on pal! We’re America! We’re the best at everything!” I know its crazy right? Well maybe it’s a good thing considering 30% of the groundwater used for irrigation comes from one source, the Ogallala aquifer which spans parts of eight states from southern South Dakota to northwest Texas. Now you may say, “That’s –HUGE- we’ll never deplete that!” And again I tell you that you’ve been mislead. As of 2005 the Ogallala aquifer has lost the equivalent of twothirds of Lake Erie. That’s right; Lake Erie is now a skipping pond because you had to have your fine Alabama cotton. So next time you decide a nice long 30 minute shower will –totally- relax you, or that running the water while brushing your teeth is absolutely necessary so you can maintain just the right water temperature, think of the Ogallala aquifer and the groundwater used around you. We already abuse the water we have thinking it will be around forever, it may be polluted by your chem-lawn, but that’s what water treatment plants are for right?
Rivers at Risk? By: Carla Morris Rivers are the lifeline of the Earth. Rivers provide us with energy, food, recreation, and even routes for us to ship our goods. Rivers keep many species alive and help fisheries survive. The water from rivers is converted to electricity by hydroelectric plants which are built on the banks of rivers. Sadly, our rivers are being polluted by industrial and urban pollutants and by runoff. Chemical fertilizers, animal waste are being washed into rivers, streams, and other bodies of water polluting our fresh drinking
sources. We have manipulated bodies of water for irrigation and for shipping altering the flow of rivers and streams. We have built dams and levees which have altered the natural flow of these bodies of water hindering the breeding and feeding patterns of fish and other river creatures. There are a number of rivers that are so over tapped that they discharge little to no water to sea for months at a time. We need to restore the natural flow of our rivers and stop polluting our rivers with chemicals and human waste. We need our rivers. Freshwater Crisis Lisa Brown Many people know it is important to conserve water but how many people really understand the true importance. Especially in America, people take the availability and accessibility of water for granted. As stated in the article, Freshwater Crisis, "the water you drink today has likely been around in one form or another since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, hundreds of millions of years ago." It is not likely that too many people stop and think about it although the water cycle is constant. So this brings up two points, the quality as well as the quantity of our water. First, one must remember that once water is withdrawn and used, it is gone forever. Secondly, water is constantly cycling. Therefore, the pollution and contaminates that are put into water may change its potency as it is cycled but pollution and contaminates are probably residual in some form. So how limited is our freshwater? According to the article, Freshwater Crisis, "...nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh." The article also states that "...just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible". Our population is growing and the usage of our water is much higher than it should be. Based on that fact, the article goes on to propose, "by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change." That is not too far away. In America, we are told to conserve but many probably do not think about how America's usage affects other parts of the world. Especially considering America has unlimited access to freshwater. The difference Americans can make may seem insignificant but accumulative, it could make a difference. Reference Freshwater crisis. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-crisis Climate Change, Droughts, and Floods Tory Rizzo Is the Earth’s climate change good for the people of this planet? Can we say that the droughts and the floods are good as well? In this author’s opinion I’m all for climate change and to have the weather stay around 70 degrees for most of the year. As for the droughts and the flooding I think we could do without for the reason, the droughts are destroying any harvest that we are trying to grow. The flooding that we have had in this country has been the worst in years and with all the tornados this spring, and this past winter with all snowstorms that we have had that increased more water than normal. With all the flooding that has gone has contaminated the water, which is not good for vegetation or for drinking too. Droughts are never good
especially if there was farm vegetation from before. For instance in 1998 in Honduras that Hurricane Mitch wiped out the vegetation and cost many dollars of vegetables and fruits because now the once farm rich farm land is now a desert. This could be the beginning of global warming as we speak, by all the weather changers that we have experienced for the last few months in particular. From the snowstorms to the violent weather, and the extreme droughts that the weather can be a friend, or are worst enemy for the human race. It reminds me of the movie The Day After Tomorrow in how the weather changed from minute to minute people had to adjust to the adverse conditions. If this could happen and that people were able to survive the conditions, then who is not to say with everything that has happened that we can do the same thing. We can adapt to change just like the next person, and we can find ways to have safe drinking water and vegetation to grow our crops. Dams and Engineering China’s Three Gorges Dam, by the Numbers By Brian Handwerk Reviewed by Julia Beyer China is a country that has been around for centuries; it has gone through so many triumphs and tribulations throughout the years. The country also had many innovations such as the Great Wall. Is modern day dam engineering China’s latest innovation of the present? Will the dam help solve its problems of flooding? And what affects will China’s Three Gorges Dam have on its citizens and historic sites? The founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-Sen, first suggested a dam to be built on the Yangtze River in 1919. Communist leader Mao Zedong also supported the idea; construction of the dam did not start until 1993, just about 17 years later after his death. With 26,000 Chinese and foreign workers make up the construction team, 200 tons of explosives to demolish old barriers, and economic costs of $24 billion US dollars; the Three Gorges Dam is China’s largest project. The dam is about 1.4 miles stretched across the Yangtze River and 607 feet tall. 21 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction, which is a world record. The reservoir water level was 456 feet, which was flooded to 574 feet above sea level. There are also twenty-six turbines, which has produced more than 18,000 megawatts of electricity. With the turbines, it was believed to sufficiently provide 10 percent of China’s total energy needs, but with the nation’s growth for energy, it was reduced to approximately 3 percent of the recent demand. Sun Yat-Sen believed the construction of the dam would protect the nearby communities from the floods. The Chinese officials seemed to have the same vision as Sun Yat-Sen; they too, believe the dam will protect about 15 million of their citizens from flood waters and about 15 million acres of farmland. The officials projected about 300,000 people were killed in the 20th century largest Yangtze River floods. Environmentalists have raised concerns about the reduction of downstream nutrient and sediment and the impact bordering river and seacoast ecosystems. These changes could damage the coastal fishing grounds and may possibly cause tidal wetlands to increase erosion. The dam has also blocked about 10 million tons of garbage such as plastic bags, bottles, animal corpses, trees and other debris from flowing out to sea. Engineers created a device to prevent the damages of the power generators from all the trash. The device is a giant-lapping “tongue”, it can put away about 392 cubic yards of trash an hour. There were other concerns as well, displaced citizens, approximately 1.3 million people. They were to be relocated with compensation of payments, new homes, and jobs. But with local corruption, complaints about funding were not distributed to the rightful recipients. Majority of the displaced citizens were farmers and relied on the farmlands to make a living, they now have to adjust to finding work that is not in their skilled profession. Not only the farmlands and old homes are under water, but historic and ancient architectural and
cultural sites such as artifacts of the Ba people, who have lived in the area dating back to 4,000 years ago, are under water as well. People who have lived in the region for decades and have historic ties resisted moving, they did not want to see their family sites to be submerged under the reservoir water. They had no choice but to move because they too, would be submerged under the reservoir water. China has set their eyes in building more dams in other regions. The dam building business is booming. The country already possesses about 86,000 and counting of dams. But China could face more disputes and consequences on how and where these dams are built; this would cause more conflicts for their rivers.
Reference Handwerk, B. ( June 9, 2006). China’s three gorges dam, by the numbers. National Geographic News. Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060609-gorgesdam.html Don’t Waste it! Save it! By Jessicca Whaley Beautiful clear water that we pour out of our sinks or hoses without and kind of dead animals or animal fesses in it. But what if our drinking water looked like our lakes and rivers before we purified them? We pollute the water so much without any consideration for the plants or animals that live in there. Birth control pills, sunscreen and petroleum have all been found in our lakes. Not to mention all the chemicals and paint that we dump down the drain. Can you imagine what that does to the poor living creatures that have to suck that up into their bodies? There is also a large amount of sewage that dumps into our lakes and rivers. This in return creates “dead zones” were no living animal lives (www.treehugger.com) there are over 400 hundred of these zones all over the world (www.treehugger.com). Some people are starting to become more aware of these conditions and are creating technology to clean out some of our water systems. There just needs to be more people more aware on what going on with our water system and to know that our lakes and rivers are very important to us. Don’t waste your water, save it! Freshwater Fish Fading Fast
Gary Varkonyi The freshwater aquatic life is slowly fizzling away. The wetlands in our world are slowing being polluted. This is affecting the rivers and lakes as well. Wetlands have a very large role in our ecosystem. They connect water sources together. They help control flooding by taking in the extra water a river may have. Probably the largest role wetlands play is a natural breeding ground for many aquatic species. The freshwater fish that are born here can make it to the rivers and lakes, thus spreading the wildlife over larger areas. The fish keep aquatic wildlife in a good balance by being a healthy food source for other fish, birds, bears, and other species. When these wetlands become polluted, the largest impact is how it affects the fish. Freshwater species have a much higher rate of extinction than terrestrial or marine species. Captive breeding programs are in place to help with the dying species but they cannot save them all. So ask yourself this question. What can I do, or stop doing, in order to preserve this stunningly beautiful life cycle from diminishing?
Competition and Conflict Article Where is All the Water Going? by Tawana Watson The Earth’s available drinking water is less than 1%, and it is very important that every nation learns how to save and conserve this very valuable resource. A factor that shows as a conflict for sharing the 1% of available drinking water is due to the increase in population among countries as water supply stays the same, as nations grow across the globe the demands for water increases drastically. Another part of the conflict is the unequal distribution of usable water to the nations. Brazil, Russia, Colombia possesses half of the Earth’s freshwater supply. As the supplies diminishes and natural occurrence increase climate changes the completion for water becomes a knock-out drag out fight. China Wants Our Water Derik Butkovic We all know the story, you get home from a hard day at work and all you want to do is take a nice long, hot, 30 to 45 minute shower to wind down from the hard day at the office. Then it’s time to brush our teeth, leave the water running, because as we all know you need the perfect temperature water to rinse with, cold hurts and hot is just unpleasant. Now it’s time to begrudgingly clean the two sinks full of dishes that have been sitting for the past week. Just throw them in the dishwasher and run it two or three times that should get all the caked on stuff off right? Or if you don’t have a dishwasher, run the hot water until last week’s lasagna starts to flake off and go down the drain. Okay, now that the daily grind is done it’s time for the news. Look at those poor people who are drinking muddy water, it’s just unfair isn’t it? Not only is it unclean, it’s not safe, and over one billion people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking
Our second set of articles focus on companies that are practicing green choices to the benefit of the enuironment. These choices are also supporting the company’s bottom line. The companies are examples of Natural Capitalism. Checkout their websites to learn more. How can you practice green choices and help your families bottom line?
US Bank Of America by Jessicca Whaley The name of this company is US Bank of America. And what it’s trying to do is provide eco-friendly operations with business and growth. It is also trying to create a safe and healthy environment. This company is protecting the environment by trying to reduce paper use and starting up a new recycling program. They are also offering employees 3,000 dollars cash back for buying hybrid cars (businesspundit.com) This company is helping out the environment because they are reducing their paper usage which is saving trees. And they are running a recycling program which is also helping eliminate the waste in landfills. Giving cash back to people who buy hybrid cars also helps because people love money, so if they get it back just for buying a car that reduces pollution in the air that will increasingly save our environment. This article impressed me because I didn’t think a bank would care so much about our environment. Pepsi Co. by Tawana Watson PART 1 – DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY, WHAT IS PEPSICO CREATING, DOING, AND INFLUENCING? PepsiCo, Inc. was incorporated in 1919, is a global food, snack and beverage company. The company’s brands include Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Gatorade, Lay’s, Pepsi, Walkers, Gamesa, and Sabritas. The company is organized into four businesses that include PepsiCo America Food, which includes Frito-Lay North America, Quaker Foods North America, and all of its Latin American food and snack businesses. MISSION STATEMENT PepsiCo’s mission is to be the world’s premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. PepsiCo seeks to produce financial rewards to investors as they provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to their employees, their business partners and he communities in which they operate. And in everything PepsiCo do, they strive for honest fairness and integrity. VISION STATEMENT “PepsiCo’s responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which they operate – environment, social, economic-creating a better tomorrow than today.” PepsiCo’s vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company. Part 2 – WHAT IS PEPSICO PROTECTING? WHAT PRACTICES HAVE THEY INTRODUCED AND HOW HAS IT CHANGED THEIR INDUSTRY? PepsiCo made a promise to protect the Earth’s natural resources through innovation and more efficient use of land, energy, water, and packaging in their operations. PepsiCo is focused on sustainable growth that relies on the Earth’s natural resources, as the company grows in developed countries and expands in developing/emerging countries they remain committed to minimizing the impact that their business has on the environment. PepsiCo strive to use only methods and tools that are scientifically proven, socially responsible and economically sound. In 2009, PepsiCo announced 15 global goals and commitments to guide their work to protect the Earth’s natural resources through innovation and more efficient use of land, energy, water, and packaging in their operations. PepsiCo focuses their work where they can make the most positive impact (water, packaging, climate change, and agriculture) and on key policies and partnerships to help provide solutions to address, the world is environmental challenges. PepsiCo goals are listed below; 1. Water: respect the human right to water through world-class efficiency in their operations preserving water resources and enabling access to safe water
2. Land and Packaging (Solid Waste): rethink the way they grow, source, create, package and deliver their products to minimize their impact on land 3. Climate Change: reduce the carbon footprint of their operations 4. Partnerships and Community: respect and responsibly use natural resources in their businesses and in the local communities they serve The following practices have been put into place to ensure that the above goals are met; 1. Water: PepsiCo plans to improve their water use efficiency by 20% per unit of production by 2015; they will strive for positive water balance in their operations in water-distressed areas, and provide access to safe water to 3 million people in developing countries by the end of 2015. 2. Land and Packaging (Solid Waste): PepsiCo will continue to lead the industry by incorporating at least 10% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in their primary soft drink containers in the U.S., and broadly expand the use of rPET across key international markets, they will create partnerships that promote the increase of U.S. beverage container recycling rates to 50% by 2018, they will reduce packaging weight by 350 million pounds – avoiding the creation of 1 billion pounds of landfill waste by 2012, and work to eliminate all solid waste to landfills from our production facilities 3. Climate Change: PepsiCo will improve their electricity use efficiency by 20% per unit of production by 2015, they will reduce their fuel use intensity by 25% per unit of production by 2015, they commit to a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity for U.S. operations by 25% through their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Leaders program, and they commit to an absolute reduction in GHG emissions across global operations. 4. Partnerships and Community: PepsiCo, in addition to their own efforts, will consistently rely on partnerships that help them address the urgency of the world’s environmental challenges. These relationships with a range of external and internal stakeholders provide PepsiCo with perspective and knowledge they can use to implement good ideas across their business and in the communities, they serve. PART 3 – RESTATE AND ADD HOW THE COMPANIES PRACTICES ARE HELPING THE COMPANY STAY FINACIALLY SOLID Financially PepsiCo has improved with their revenue steam over the course of time since implementing their environmental sustainability program. The move toward being more eco-friendly has influenced the success of PepsiCo and encouraged the copycat mindset that is observed and demonstrated by the other companies within PepsiCo’s industry. It is believed that PepsiCo is a trendsetter and will continue to strive in their market, while encouraging eco-friendly behavior. PART 4 – CONCLUSION (MY IMPRESSION OF THE ARTICLE) In order for me to do this essay, I had to go to the PepsiCo website and look at their environment sustainability plan. I was unable to find an article that was geared for their plans and opinion regarding the environment, but the information that I obtained from the website was very in-depth and well explained information. In my opinion, the information that I obtained made a huge impression on me. I am a big PepsiCo fan and used their products over other products of similar making constantly and to know that they are a pro environmental company gave me a great feeling. I am very proud of what PepsiCo is doing and will continue to use their products in the future.
Continental Airlines By Lisa D. Brown Continental Airlines is one of the top companies that have a special interest in going green. This article discusses how Continental Airlines is experimenting with using green fuels for its jets. Biello states, "More and more frequent fliers are wringing their hands over the fact that airplanes emit greenhouse gases where they can do the most damage--high in the atmosphere" (2009, p. 68). Continental understands this concern and the article also further expresses the issues with increase in cost of fuel as well and the dependence on foreign oil. Biello further explains that these concerns have, "prompted a spate of test flights powered by biofuels: planes flying on the energy-rich extracts of flowering plants, weeds, and pond scum. The environmental appeal is that the growing plants absorb as much carbon dioxide as is released when their oils are burned" (2009, p. 68). It sounds like a promising option and the articles continues on to explain the various research in utilizing other types of producers to create these biofuels. Continental is investing in this research to succeed in finding alternative methods of fuel. There are potential obstacles once the type of producer need is identified. If it can be used to create biofuels, is there going to be enough land to farm the determined producer. Also, the land used, will it take the place of some other kind of crop that is in need such as wheat. Through the research and testing this seems more achievable than once believed. (Biello, 2009, p. 68-69) This article did make an impression because jets use an extraordinary amount of fuel and if biofuels can be achieved successfully it could be a huge alternative to reduce greenhouse gases. It will reduce the need for fossil fuels in a huge way and also increase the production of vegetation having a positive effect on the ecological system. References Biello, D. (2009). Green Fuels for Jets. Scientific American Earth 3.0, 19(1), 68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Dawn – Saving the Wildlife Cayli Quander Many companies take part in the going green movement that swept our nation over the years. Most of the companies have made improvements in the business processes to contribute back to the plant, whether it was installing energy saving lights, putting up recycle bins or donating to an eco-friendly foundation. We all know Dawn dish soap as the food fighting, rough tough soap, that get can grease off your dishes and leaves it so squeaky clean it sparkles. Not only does Dawn provide one of the best dish soaps around, it also takes part in saving our wildlife. Also, by Dawn donating to a worthy foundation they gain respect from the consumers buying the product because they can feel like their money is also going towards a worthy cause. Dawn takes an advantage of a world crisis to enhance the advertising of their product as well as to start their movement to save the wildlife. They use a commercial showing Dawn cleaning off oily ducks making them sparkling clean. This shows how good their product works and how soft and gentle it can be towards our
wildlife restoration. When we had the recent oil spill and everything was covered in oil, Dawn provided the soap to clean all the wildlife animals effected. Dawn created a bargain with the consumers that if they buy their product a dollar of what you pay will go to saving the wildlife. They also go on to tell the consumer on top of their dollar, the will match them a dollar. The website for Dawn stated that in one year alone they raised over $500,000 and their numbers are still growing. Companies like these who participate in the Going Green Movement and can show the consumer that they really are making a difference and hold financial stability. The can hold this stability because consumers what to help a company that is making a difference. If Dawn was the only dish soap participating in helping environment than most people will choose this soap over others. People also trust companies that can show how dedicated they are, as well as, contributing their money to a good cause. His article definitely made an impression to me because as a company they show they are not money hungry. They also show that they also can give back to the community. Dawn had to take a loss if they are donating one dollar of yours for buying it, and a dollar of theirs for buying their product, but is not at all to the trust they develop from the consumers and all the wildlife they save. There are a lot of companies that wouldn’t want to take such a loss in their average business day profits. Dawn dish soap and their advertisement scheme shows they truly care about saving our environment. PNC and the Environment By Carla Morris PNC Financial Services Group Inc. strives to integrate their day- to- day business practices with environmental responsibilities. By PNC recognizing their commitment to green building practices they have been able to lower their costs, increase their efficiency and productivity and enhance the communities where people live, work and play. PNC has constructed more than 100 green buildings which are certified by the U.S Green Building Council. They have also constructed an airy layout to their green buildings. Because of this airy layout, studies have found that employees retain more and are more satisfied compared to a traditional facility. Lighting, air quality and overall satisfaction was rated much higher by the employees in Green Branch®. PNC found that by improving the natural lighting heating and cooling they can reduce their operating costs by more than 35%. By taking advantage of the seasonal pricing by using natural gas in the summer and electricity in the winter in select buildings they can reduce the amount of their gas and electric payments. PNC also uses vendors who supply environmentally friendly goods and services. They recycle paper and use cleaning supplies that are environmentally friendly, they recycle computers and offer online banking to reduce paper waste. More than half of the building supplies used in their facilities and made from recycled materials. In their Green Branches they have reduced their water usage by 4,000 gallons of water a year. PNC and their responsibility to help the environment have helped to save our water supply as well as trees, and the habitat of animals that depend on those trees. They have reduced the amount of energy they consume which is helping the air quality and conserving our fossil fuels. More and more financial institutions are climbing on board with going “Green”. Many already offer online baking to where you can get your statements online versus a paper statement. The recognition of PNC’s responsibility to help the environment has enabled them to stay financially solid. They have saved money through water, electric, and gas bills and have saved money through offering online banking reducing the amount of paper to be bought. Also, through their support and advice, real estate
developers can determine the potential for bring contaminated “Brownfield “sites back to life. With these investments jobs can be created, business districts expanded, and tax base and prompt environmental land improvements enhanced. PNC has made a positive impact on the environment and I can only imagine that they are not done helping the environment. Pacific Gas & Electric Company: What We Are Doing By Julia Beyer
Pacific Gas & Electric Company or PG&E is a California gas and electric company, based in San Francisco founded in 1905. It is one of the largest integrated utilities company in the United States. PG&E provides both natural gas and electric services to 15 million people from northern California region to central California region. PG&E is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, which was created in 1911. According to PG&E, “since 1976, PG&E and our customers have kept more than 155 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere, based on cumulative lifecycle savings.” PG&E has created energy efficiency programs for customers since 1976 and they were one of the first utilities companies in the nation to do so. PG&E’s mission is to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight the constant changing climate. PG&E’s programs will not only benefit the customers saving on their utilities bills, but the programs will help with the changing climate and environment. PG&E also offers energy efficient products and services to their customers such as rebates, incentives, education about energy efficiency, and so forth. The company is also using new technologies such as their SmartMeter program, one of the nation’s largest advanced metering infrastructures; to help customers understand the information better, also help customers use energy with the cost effective ways. The company is not only trying to find better solutions for better energy use, they are also helping with the protecting species. PG&E has been working with different environmental groups and agencies to ensure the overhead wires and electrical equipments do not cause any danger to the birds such as the California condor and bald eagles. PG&E also took the initiative to permanently protect the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle, which was under the federal Endangered Species List. The company has permanently protected more than 975acres of the beetle’s habitat. They are also working effectively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy to help restore existing habitats. PG&E’s role in helping with conservation of habitat and species, the company gained approval for Operations and Maintenance Habitat Conservation Plan, which allows PG&E to work and do maintenance with little or no disturbance to San Joaquin Valley Habitat and the species. PG&E has done so much to help the environment and educating customers, offering incentives and rebates to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company invests in renewable energy; customers who install the renewable generation systems will have the “buy/sell” option, which allows PG&E to buy the electricity from the customers or just purchase the excess electricity only. PG&E has not only been successful in their services, but they have been successful with helping the environment with the collaboration of groups and agencies. Whether or not if PG&E is financially solid, they are environmentally solid and keep continuingly doing so. PG&E is helping the State of California and their residents in becoming greener with the energy efficiency programs and products and their innovations. Reference What we’re doing. (2011). Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Retrieved July 20, 2011 http://www.pge.com/about/environment/pge
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Smarter Thinking for Going Green By Gary Varkonyi IBM is a multinational technology and consulting firm. Their hardware manufacturing and software programming sales have place them among the top in companies in the IT industry. IBM also offers hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from nanotechnology to mainframe computers. They have countless patents on technological devices. They are currently expanding their largest worldwide data center in Boulder, Colorado. The data center will be IBM’s largest green project to date. They plan to double their capacity without adding to their energy consumption or carbon emissions. This will be done utilizing virtualization technology, new lighting systems as well as highly efficient air conditioning. Employing these will not only make this location extremely energy efficient, it will also help with other locations in the future. Going green for IBM is a major goal to achieve. Using these energy saving technologies will not only help reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, they will also help IBM to generate more revenue. Using virtualization adds to the production while keeping the cost of needing larger sites to a minimum. IBM has definitely shown the diversity of the word green by showing a company can make money while reducing negative impacts on the planet. http://www.ibm.com/us/en/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/133349/ibm_going_green_with_its_largest_data_center.html BP Going Green By Justin Ross BP is one of the biggest oil industries of the world and they are becoming a sustainable business by sustainable energy by investing billions of dollars to lower the carbon energy. Their efforts are to use alternative energy, using biofuel, focused on sustainable feedstocks, increasing the US wind capacity by building and putting up wind tunnels, and building carbon capture and storage plants in California and Abu Dhabi, and using solar power grids to use solar energy instead of the alternatives. BP states, ( 2011). “ We are building green businesses that. That means creating low-carbon energy businesses that will grow into successful commercial enterprises as well as delivering substantial environmental benefits” pg1. BP also has introduced targetneutral, targetneutral is a co2 emission reduction scheme. In the UK drivers can calculate their co2 emission and make financial contributions towards renewable energy and carbon reduction. My friend told me that the purchases that you make here at a BP gas station that the money that you pay go towards the environment for every liter of gas you buy. “ The British energy giant is simply being proactive; as environmental awareness increases this is an excellent marketing opportunity to enhance its brand image and increase sales, while laying claim to being innovative and environmentally conscious” pg 1. Marketwatch: Energy. New safety procedures after the Gulf spill has awaken energy investors strategies, after the 20 billion compensation that BP has agreed to pay, established June 16, 2010 of last year BP has agreed to cap their oil wells. Obama does not want BP to go bankrupt “enormous positive for the stock” pg1.( Energy investors). There will be tougher laws and new safety procedures for the drilling regulations for the oil industry. Nelson says “that the insurance will go up, even more than the higher cost of compliance also with stricter regulations $10 billion from the current $75 million.
This next section is dedicated to our thoughts and opinions. These thoughts are meant to get you thinking. They might inspire you, anger you or make you laugh. Either way we hope to inspire some environmental thinking in your mind and the minds around you. One of the things that I took from your always entertaining Ecology class was the immensity of our resource use. I had always known that we created so much waste it was ridiculous, and that if we don’t slow it down and fast that we would end up being the creation of our own demise. Especially with America’s general attitude towards over-consumption; I’ve always made a slight attempt to recycle but now I see the dire need for the process. Even though it causes more pollution with transport and everything else put into melting down and reforming the plastic, the act of recycling reduces physical waste which is starting to overrun our beaches and forests. Driving down the road I now see way more trash than I’ve ever noticed before. If there is ANYTHING I think someone should know about ecology it’s that we all need to cut our consumption; a lot of people have turned wants into needs and have the attitude of “Just because we can, we will.” Responsibility for the environment we live in is the most crucial component to our survival and we need to start taking it seriously.~Derik Butkovic What I learned this semester in Ecology is the human species is a disgusting race of vile, virus-like beings that plague the planet Earth. We consume everything we can until it is no longer. That being said, there are tiny beacons of light that shine through to people. Education of the people brings knowledge of the travesties we humans commit in order to lessen our burden on this wonder planet. Learning of population and pollution control in Ecology will better help me to determine certain paths to take when not only living my everyday life, but as a professional in future. If given the choice I will most certainly choose a path that is more eco-friendly and be part of the saving of our home. ~Gary Varkonyi Throughout this course, I have learnt many different things about the environment, however before this course I must admit that I did not care at all what was going in the environment because I did not have the knowledge regarding the situations that effect the environment. One main issue that really opens my eyes was the issue concerning fracking and how it affects the people (the children). I knew that there were many individuals in this world that really does not care about people but it really disturbed me to see how they truly do not care for the individuals that cannot help themselves. The main thing that I want people to know is that they have to be more conscious about what they do when it comes to the environment and the species in it. They cannot make decisions based on what is right for them but they have to take into consideration everything as a whole, and once they consider everything then they have to look beyond their time but into the future and take into consideration what the long terms effects will be.~Tawana Watson Food For Thought There were a couple things that I learned about that had an impact on me. Such as people using different types of power and how they affect the environment. Or fracturing and what it does the water system. It’s still unbelievable that people can turn on their sinks and their water is flammable. And the people who are doing the fracturing business see this as not being a problem. Or global warming, and how the weather is changing in places that is not normal for that place to change. Or my favorite learning how the earth was like from back in the days of the 1930’s up until now. It’s changed so much. Yes we have more filters and such, but we are also doing a lot of things to destroy and permanently ruin our environment. I would like people to be aware of the dangers that are going on in our environment and how the little things that we do can make a big difference. Such as recycling, or riding bike outside when it’s nice instead of driving or just eating at home so you are not contributing to more trash being thrown away. ~Jessicca Whaley
This course has brought additional knowledge of several environmental issues and the negative effects of choices that we all make today that is effecting our environment now and in the future. There is a new understanding of "why" we should conserve energy and water and why we should be more aware of what we contribute to the environment. I think finding alternative sources of energy is more achievable than public perception. The public needs to be better educated on the effects of the choices they make and how they can make a difference. The government should be more accountable and laws should be in place to protect the environment and not enable negative behavior. Overall, there needs to education and awareness of the effects our choices have in the environment and awareness of what can be done or avoided to make a difference. ~Lisa Brown What I Have Learned …. The one subject that really caught my attention in Ecology is Fracking. I have never paid attention to that subject before, but after learning about it and watching the movie GasLand, it has made me aware of the dangers of Fracking to our ecosystem. Not only does Fracking possess varies dangers to the animals, but it also has its affects the human’s health. I have learned Fracking can be a quick fix economically, but in long term, it would not be beneficial for our environment. I am able to explain better to any of my friends and family about this subject when they complain about wanting the government to start drilling for natural gasses to relieve the economic crisis. I have also learned there is no short cut to the economic crisis without any long term consequences; meaning disturbing the ecosystem without harming the animals and citizens. ~Julia Beyer Environmental Science had me skeptical when I saw that I was required to take it. I’m going to school to be a paralegal, and was questioning the importance of this class to my future. But now that I’m approaching the final days of class, I can say that I enjoyed every second of it. I’m more aware of the issues we are facing with the environment that I so blindly looked past. I’m sure a lot of other people would say the same. We as people know when we do something wrong, but it takes a little more to realize the effects of what has been done. We throw away trash, but don’t think about where it’s going. We cut down forest, not realizing what depends on that forest to live. We run water when it’s unnecessary, and turn on lights during the day. We do things without the awareness that we are doing them or considering the long term effects. In this class I learned what I need to know about the consequences of our human actions on earth enough to want to make a difference. Maybe not a biggest difference, but a difference in my lifestyle that will contribute to the beautiful planet we once lived on. From this day on I plan on sharing my knowledge with other people less aware of what their actions are doing and hope that I make a difference on their life like this class had on mine. ~Cayli Quander