Sustainability is complex, and there are many different ways that we can promote sustainability in our lives. Through the exploration of how activists choose to promote sustainability in their lives we can learn about the importance of empowerment and storytelling. “Fractured Land” documents the life of Caleb Behn, an indigenous environmental activist who studies law in an effort to combat the unsustainable effects of fracking. Growing up, Caleb saw the effects of fracking through his culture. The fierce environmental activists in his community, one being his father, taught him of the injustices committed against the indigenous people by the fracking industry. Fracking is taking place on indigenous land polluting their sacred environment, …show more content…
2017, January, 12). I was inspired Caleb through the way he uses his personal experiences as an indigenous person to help him fight for justice. As an activist I also use my story to create change. Through presentations to LGBTQA+ youth I speak about how I learned to accept my sexuality and let them know that they are not alone. Seeing how Caleb channeled his passion for activism into the study of law challenged me to think about how activism will be incorporated into my future. When Caleb was asked about the difference between renewable energy and extractions from an indigenous perspective I was expecting a supportive response due to the deep value indigenous culture has for the earth, however I was surprised with Caleb's reaction. He explained how the situation was difficult because many renewable companies greenwash products to make them seem more sustainable than they actually are, and how wind power companies have also wronged the indigenous community in land disputes. This reminded me of the video “The Story of Stuff” where we learned about how big companies used …show more content…
With over 5000 types of plastics, Heather explains that the problem is very complex. As plastic ends up in marine ecosystems it begins to pollute and has massive monetary effects. Marine litter costs Europeans billions annually though cleanup projects, damage to vessels, and fish catches. Heather also mentioned the harmful amounts of microbeads, which Megan Leslie banned in Canada, in the oceans that are harming small ocean ecosystems. She explained that the effects of marine litter on the economy and ecosystems are extensive, however she noted that there is one place that we haven't check for the harmful effects of plastic. People! Plastics are made with harmful toxic chemicals and it only makes sense that people would be as negatively affected by plastic as our ecosystems and economies are. When asked if parents should be worried about the plastic toys parents buy their children Heather explained how when children put plastic toys in their mouths they are potentially being exposed to toxic flame retardants. Heather explained that our economy is linear, which means it destructively uses finite resources and creates waste. Heather believes that we must create circular economies that feed into each other which would allow us to reuse our resources and recycle our waste (Leslie, H. 2017, February, 2). The idea of a circular economy relates back to the “Green Economics” where
He suggests that all the small parts that make up the movement can come together to harbor transformative change, relating it as a homeostatic mechanism of the Earth as an organism. Hawken makes explains the comparison perfectly, relating the movement as the works of the world’s immune system. He also defines the movements primary aspects, being “environmental activism, social justice initiatives, and indigenous culture’s resistance to globalization” (12).Hawken supports this with the history of Rachel Carson and other significant environmentalists who were able to initiate change. If the efforts of a single person had held such efficacy in the past, Hawken claims a tremendous capability in the combined efforts of the world’s people. With reminders to Carson’s “Silent Spring” and its effects on chemical companies, he displays how much potential environmentalists would have if they were to all come
To start with, Pezzullo successfully demonstrates how citizens critically interrupt the success story narrative about environmental activism in Warren County. Throughout the course of this reading, we see the residents of Warren County try to come up with a new conclusion to those narratives, one of which would include environmental cleanup. Additionally, Pezzullo presents two rhetorical tensions
Plastic isn’t known to be a substance made for consumption, but you may be eating it every day. In “Our Oceans Are Turning into Plastic…Are You?” the author Susan Casey is informing us how bad plastic is polluting our oceans. Susan Casey is the author of a New York Times best seller, “The Devils Teeth”, helped publish Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm, and is the editor and chief of Oprah Winfrey’s Magazine “O”. She argues that these pollutants are doing damage in multiple facets, such as affecting food chains, disrupts organism reproduction, and directly cause the things we consume to be harmful to us. The author found many creative ways to appeal to all three persuasive appeals which are Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. Although the article was great at the end she added things that weren’t needed and seemed to just be there as filler.
(Berger 214) His commitment to engaging in genuine discussion with indigenous communities, and to providing them with a platform to have their voices heard by Southern Canada is clearly evident. For example, regarding the notion of land he states that “the native people's relationship to the land is so different from that of the dominant culture that only through their words can we comprehend it.” (137) Berger's approach, which is largely focused on dialogue, demonstrates his treatment of the natives as active participants in his research with meaningful contributions. Furthermore, his approach is results-driven, as his recommendations follow from consideration of their potential consequences. This is similar to the “emancipatory research” Smith describes, which aims to empower communities and support their betterment.
In the first installment of the sustainability evening lecture series we got to hear from Miles Howe on Defining Elsipogtog: The Anatomy of a Struggle. Howe is a journalist for Media Co-Op, an independent Canadian news site (McGuire, 2013). Back in 2013, there were plans for a hydraulic fracking project in New Brunswick, this project was met with a lot of resistance from both the local community and from across the nation. The plan for the proposed hydraulic fracking site was to use about 1/7th of the province to extract shale gas. The government of New Brunswick hoped that this would both stimulate the economy and create jobs for locals, so that people did not have to search out of province to find jobs, such as working in the oil fields
The first time I saw the trailer for Fractured Lands knew I had to watch it. I circled the date on my calendar and forced my parents to accompany me. Together we listened to the talk, engaged with the film and responded to the panel. Through the process, I was able to engage critically with the film and explore how it exceeded expectations in certain areas but also seriously fell short to engage in varying contemporary aboriginal problems. Problems such as the fractures in communities that have developed as a consequence due to the benign neglect of the government. To first understand at which points the documentary Fractured Lands failed to focus on with respect to hydraulic fracturing in Northern British Columbia treaty territories, it is important to first understand the issues at hand and their surrounding context.
One of the world’s largest fracking operations conquers the territory of this indigenous lawyer, who was affected with the harm effects of fracking. In the 28th of April 2015, A film was released to showcase the journey of this native leader attempting to reconcile the law with traditional teachings; also, to heal himself from all the wounds that was caused by this unfortunate occurrence (. Caleb Behn, who is a successful indigenous attorney, is one of the main actors in this movie along with Janet Annestly and Maude Barlow. Their roles and honesty made this film more effective and implicit. This documentary was mainly filmed in British Columbia, Canada; though some scenes were also shot in Alberta, Canada. This film wouldn’t
In conclusion, it should have been learned that the issue of plastic pollution has become ruinous. The cost of repair and the inconvenience of lifestyle changes cannot compare to the frightful future this planet is headed. At current rates, hazards are not just inflicted on Earth's oceans but individual human health and the other creatures that rightly inhabit this land. With this concern
In the article When the Mermaids Cry” The Great Plastic Tide by Claire Le Guern Lytle, she wrote “For more than 50 years, global production and consumption of plastics have continued to rise. An estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012, and confirming and upward trend over the past years” This means that more and more trash is added to the 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean. Almost everything around us is made out of plastic, this is later misused and ending in the wrong place. The Center for Biological Diversity wrote “In the first decade of this century, we made more plastic than all the plastic in history up to the year 2000. And every year, billions of pounds of plastic end up in the world’s oceans. Most ocean pollution starts out on land and is carried by wind and rain to the sea. Once in the water, there is a near-continuous accumulation of waste.” Our plastic is misplaced and it escalates from there. However, plastic pollution hurts us as well. “Trash in the water compromises the health of humans, wildlife and the livelihoods that depend on a healthy ocean;” wrote a non-profit group called Ocean Conservation. If our oceans are covered in trash, everyone that relies on the ocean is going to suffer. The effect is not just in our health, it also affects our economy. Ocean Conservation also
In the documentary “Inside the Garbage of the World”, the main social problem being explained is that there has been a great influx of plastic and other type of garbage in oceans and their beaches. This buildup of pollution has largely affected the wildlife population ranging from animals on the beaches to the creatures of the ocean. In oceans, what is called ‘garbage patches’, a large buildup of garbage that flow to one area in the oceans, are being created. Approximately 50 percent of all plastic sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor but about 2 times that much is actually already on the ocean floor. In fact, according to the documentary, there is a garbage patch that is to the left of California that is the size of half of the United States. Each year, about 4.7 million tons of plastic goes in the ocean a year and it is estimated that by 2050, there will be another 33 billion tons of plastic added to the present amount. Eighty percent of the current pollution comes from the land. According to marine researchers, twice as much plastic debris is one the ocean floor than it was 10 years ago. In the futures, plastic will break down into smaller pieces of plastic, creating a bigger problem from the habitat. This plastic pollution is one of the leading cause for beach and ocean inhabiting creatures be extinct because animals are mistaking these plastic pieces for food. When scientist began to dissect beach animals such as birds, they discovered that at least fifteen pounds of
Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is still here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable! Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cannot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate change are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the Pacific Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the world’s population has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the natural effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food.
We 're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutants absorbed, transported, and consumed by fish and other marine life, including the potential effects on human health.
With the combination of polymers that don’t biodegrade and mass overproduction, companies are harming the environment in severe ways. Plastic, a material seen everywhere, is a polymer made from oil. It is mass produced to make everything from shampoo bottles to automobiles and does not biodegrade. When it is eventually thrown out, the waste usually finds it way into the ocean, where it is either buried under sediment or eaten by marine life (Weisman 287-295). Creating a material that will ultimately kill marine life will undoubtedly wreak havoc on the
Recycling and going green has been at the forefront of everyone's mind for the last 10 years. It has become a major concern to able to preserve the planet and reverse some of the damage that society has been inflicting over the last two hundred years. Everyone's concerned with emissions and electric cars but the world is in fact over two-thirds water. So naturally what society should be concerned about should be the oceans in the pollution and negative human impact that people have placed on them. Part of the problem as an initial estimate of the amount of plastic is not accurate. Not to mention incredible environmental and ecological effects the plastic has on marine life. Ocean plastic has reached a critical level where human intervention needs to take place.
This report will examine the stock performance of PepsiCo and P&G over the past ten years and the factors that lead to this performance.