Synthesis on "EPA: Natural Gas Fracking Linked to Water Contamination"

   The article "EPA: Natural Gas Fracking Linked to Water Contamination "by Abrahm Lustgarten, Nicholas Kusnetz and ProPublica" discusses the controversial subject of hydraulic fracking. It mentions a scientific link between underground pollution and hydraulic fracking. Fracking has become growing debate and in the 2012 Presidential elections a candidate's view on fracking can have an impact as drastic as being elected or not. I am strongly against fracking, as I am against the theft of all natural resource of earth.
   The technique, in which high-pressure fluids are pumped into shale formations to fracture the rock and force out natural gas, has been accused of not only releasing methane into well water and polluting groundwater with toxic chemicals, but also causing earthquakes (Jones). I believe it is childish to have the U.S. government allow fracking. Fracking has been linked to a magnitude-5 earthquake in Denver (Jones). Earthquakes are not only costly but they often kill people. Is natural gas really worth the life of someone? The article states scientists concluded the linkage as contaminants were found in central Wyoming, which were likely caused by the gas drilling process. The pollutants found most likely seeped up from gas wells and contained 10 compounds used in frack liquids. Methane was one of the components found in the polluted water. If there is enough methane present, an explosion can occur. This risk should not be taken under any circumstance. The U.S. government needs to value the lives of its citizens and prevent companies from beleaguering mother earth.

 

  Sources:

  Jones, Nicola. "United States Investigates Fracking Safety." Nature (2011)Print.

 

What's better, an Essay or a Powerpoint?

PowerPoints have always been appealing to me as they are visually attracting. I believe that your point comes across better in a PowerPoint than a formal essay. PowerPoints are a often a summary of main ideas and topics, usually including statistics. Statistics are better comprehended through visuals, which are often paired with words in a PowerPoint. Essays may not clearly provide you with a main point in a paragraph while a PowerPoint can provide you one within a bullet. I prefer visuals when I am conducting research , especially graphs and charts. Images can set the audience's mind to exactly what you want, while in an essay you must be creative very descriptive to be able to draw an image to your audience.What is more clear to you?

Environmental History Artifact

The photography displayed below are of Helheim Glacier in Greenland. These photographs are taken at approximately the same time during the year in 2001, 2003, and 2005. The photographs illustrates the glacier moving towards the end of a river. It may seem that the glaciers are growing, but they are actually shrinking. Due to the melting of the glacier, the glacier is able to move downstream. As long as the thickness of the glacier and the depth of the water allow the ice to remain grounded, it stays intact (Howat). This photograph provides proof that the earth is experiencing drastic changers. Water levels are rising, and the temperature of the bodies of water on earth are increasing.

 

"Retreat of the Helheim Glacier, Greenland : Image of the Day." NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=6207>.

What should be the relationship between religion and the environment?

Religion has been a part of human culture for centuries of time. Religion has brought people together for years meanwhile it has also diversified the human population. Religion is a belief in a god or several gods, where humans depend on these figures for reassurance. Theories of the world's creation is often debated because of the facts from science, and the beliefs from religion. There is one thing in common though; the earth was created to inhabit life.Therefore, there should be a very strong relationship between religion and the environment. What you believe in is irrelevant to the fact that we need earth to survive and flourish. The environment has been encountering many problems, from extinction to ozone depletion. Because billions of people follow a religion, religion could be one of the greatest counterparts to diminishing the issues effecting the environment.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-042610-103728

Shit Yogis Say

There are hundreds of dialects within languages, beginning from a geographic dialect to a "trended" dialect. The you tube video: Shit Yogis Say is another example of how dialects are different. Even "yoga people" have their own little language. Your dialect can come from you background, race, friends, and even your hobbies. Some go along with a style, for example: California Surfers. They use terms like "dude", and "narly". It is hard to even imagine how many dialects there must be in the United States alone.

Synthesis of Richard Kahn’s Towards Ecopedagogy.

In Richard Kahn’s Towards Ecopedagogy, Kahn asks: “Will we surf the awesome tube of this grave peril and move laterally across it into newly imagined freedoms? Or will we head outward into deeper waters still, floating upon unfathomable depths, along with dangers and possibilities even as of yet unforeseen?” (Kahn 1). Kahn asks this as an inquiry to the reader, to help decide whether the environment should really be an issue taken seriously. Environmental stability is a growing debate on whether or not humans should take responsibility and work to reverse their wrongdoing. Although environmental stability is being debated, individuals have already taken action to work for a cleaner and more sustainable planet, but even if individuals live sustainability, the human species as a whole needs to take action. The main problem of environmental degradation is the reality that the people around the world are uneducated about a concept as simple as sustainability.

Individuals taking part to help make the world sustainable need to be recognized and be taken as an example. The underlying issue with only individuals taking part is that there are billions of other people continuing to degrade the planet. Large-scale efforts must take place with government regulations and large companies promoting sustainability. Companies worldwide, for example: Anglo American Platinum Ltd and Intel Co., are already sustainable and hope to set other companies and the people of earth an example. While this creates a great image of sustainability, many people are still unaware what being sustainable really means.

Kahn states: “Just as there is now a socio-ecological crisis of serious proportions, there is also a crisis in environmental education over what must be done about it”(Kahn 5). The reason behind the quote is the issue of the incompetence behind environmental education. Many humans see that the world is trying to “go green”, but many don’t even understand the concept. Kahn includes the shocking statistics of American’s inability to understand the most basic environmental ideas. 45 million Americans believe that the ocean is a freshwater resource (Kahn 6). It is a staggering statistic that about 15% of the American population believes the ocean is a freshwater resource. If this estimated statistic is true, it is easy to see how public schools should not be teaching Shakespeare, but they should be reinforcing the concept of sustainability.

As the human population of the world is projected to reach over 7 billion by April 2012 it evident that humans themselves need to intervene and take the blame for the environment’s condition. Richard Kahn points out great issues that need to be approached. Education is the key to success in all aspects, including the sustainability of the earth. Programs must be set up throughout the world to combat environmental degradation. The knowledge will grant hope to make the earth a sustainable place for future human generations to come.

Works Cited

"2012 Global 100 List." 2012 Global 100: The Definitive Corporate Sustainability Benchmark. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://www.global100.org/annual-lists/2012-global-100-list.html>.

Kahn, Richard. "Towards Ecopedagogy: Weaving a Broad-based Pedagogy of Liberation for Animals, Nature, and the Oppressed People of the Earth." Web. 5 Feb. 2012.

"World Population Clock." Census Bureau Homepage. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://www.census.gov/population/popclockworld.html>.