In-flight Discussion

On the flight down to my spring break destination, I was reading an article about certain states filing a petition to have the EPA regulate airline emissions. The man sitting next to me noticed I was reading the article and said he just saw something on ABC news about it. We discussed how it is wrong for government agencies to regulate some forms of transportation and not others. It seems like the EPA turns a blind eye towards aviation when they contribute a great deal to the problem. He told me that California just passed a law restricting the emissions on cargo ships and they were part of the petition, along with the state he worked for, Pennsylvania, to restrict the airlines as well. We agreed that the airlines should have restrictions along the same lines that are placed on motor vehicles and, increasingly, ships and other marine vessels. We also talked about what role the military has in all of this. I brought up the point that even if we restrict the airlines, our armed forces still use air and water craft extensively both for training and tactical maneuvers abroad. We both highly doubt that there will ever be any restrictions on that. It was a very interesting conversation and I didn't know that there were not restrictions on the airlines to reduce their emissions. As air travel becomes increasingly more popular it seems that restrictions not only make sense, but should have already been in place.

A Green St. Patrick's Day

My experience was very similar to what has already been mentioned by my fellow bloggers. After a brief respite in New York, I returned to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It has been a tradition for many years in my fair city to shut down the downtown area for the annual parade, the second-largest in the country behind New York, as some like to claim. Though for the most part the crowd remained civil, little effort was made to keep the streets and sidewalks clean of trash. The mess, of course, was unbelievable, as an assortment of cups, cans, bottles, and whatnot filled the area. I began to pick up what I could, sticking mainly to what I came upon on the path that I was walking. Contrary to popular belief, Pittsburgh is a genuinely clean and environmentally conscious town. There were plenty of garbage and recycling bins located on almost every block. As I began picking up some trash, others saw me and began to help. A close friend of mine was confused, and told me that there were people who were paid to do what I was doing. I told him that I saw nothing wrong with doing a little bit myself, and If others did the same, perhaps we could live in a cleaner world. This was not what he expected to hear, and this was disregarded as hippie nonsense. I attempted to expand the conversation to a discussion of the benefits of individual action and economic incentives, but this did not happen. I did however continue to pick up garbage, and though my friend didn't help me, he agreed that at another time and place, he would likely do the same.

I had a very similar experience in Panama City Florida. It was a typical springbreak scene. Lots of students drinking beer. After one morning of drinking, of which I was not a participator, I looked out over the sand and all I saw was can after can after can laying on the beech. Who knows how many were thrown in the ocean. Who knows how many were buried in the sand. Who knows how many were ever thrown out? I then ventured on to Savanagh Georgia for a celebration of our beloved St. Patrick. While there I went to play wiffle ball with a few of my friends in a large Park. As we were leaving I saw more cans littered on the ground. I began to pick them up. As I did so my friend Alex asked why I was picking it up. This allowed for a healthy discussion of the environment. I said to him that it disgusted me to see so much trash over a one week period. It took me just a few seconds to pick up the trash and bring it to a trash can just a few feet away. Why could the people who drank it throw it away? He wasn't opposed to this thinking, however, he helped me out and by doing so started to see how quickly you can change the environment to being overridden with trash to a clean, grassy area.

Final and In-Class Debate

Hey Guys!

I hope you all had a great spring break! I was wondering if anyone wanted to get together on Thursday and go over the study guide for the exam. I have been working on it, but it would be nice to throw some of our ideas back and forth. Let me know!

Also, we are in a group for the debate this week. Our topic is the government's stance for/against genetically modified food in a poor country. Do you know if we are supposed to use one particular article from last weeks readings like the debate we had last time? I guess we'll figure it out.

Have a great day!

Eat good food, eat good food, eat good food!

When I purchase and consume food, the environment is usually somewhere in the back of my mind, and not at the forefront. Cheap eats are my top priority since, as everyone has been saying, I'm just a lowly, broke college student. Though I try to purchase and prepare my own meals as much as possible, this is at times difficult due to my schedule of work and class. When I eat out, I usually just go for what tastes good. It is hard for me to think about the environmental costs of production that go into the preparation of my meals, since most of the time I have no idea where this food comes from. I assume, therefore, that the environmental impact of the foods prepared for me is negative.

When I think about the environment when I make food choices, I try to purchase and consume food that has the lowest production costs. To say that products are locally grown is more important to me than saying that they are organic. Eating organic doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be spending more money, but this, more often than not, seems to be the case. I couldn't imagine buying all of my groceries at Whole Foods when a six-pack and a reasonably sized portion from the salad bar easily costs 18 bucks. I doubt if shopping only at Whole Foods will actually help the environment at all. I'd rather just buy things that are locally grown.

I remember when I was very young waking up early on the weekend and going to the farmers market down the street and the local fish and meat markets with my parents. As a small child, it was a fun time, and I remember eating some really good tasting fruits, and meeting all kinds of great people. By the time I was elementary age, we had moved out of the city, and I haven't been to a farmer's market since. I'm sure there are some in DC, but I've yet to check them out. Waking up early on a Sunday isn't the easiest thing to do for me either. Willie Nelson and Neil Young once told me that this was the right thing to do. Perhaps that's what it's going to take to make the world a little more greener.

Green Eggs and "Green" Ham

In my food selection the predominate thought is that of health rather then environment. If I choose more organic products it is more due to the fact that i want to be eating a healthy product rather then an environmentally healthy one. Post my consumption and learning of how these products are more "Green" I am glad that I did purchase them and choose to consume them, however, in my decision making process the environment is not my priority. Its difficult changing your consumption pattern. Its a change in mentaility, the core of how we think and act. I eat what will taste good.

After taking the quiz in the beginning of the semester about how many worlds we would need if everyone lived like us (in which we would need 3.5 for everyone to live like me) and my greatest impact was consumption. I don't believe there is an excuse for this lifestyle, yes it is mainstream, there are difficulties of being a college student, lack of knowledge, etc. But as a culprit of not considering my impact I continue to do so anyways. My diet of the last few days has been nothing out of the norm but I can't imagine Chipotle having a postive environmental impact.

Another issue when it comes to choice is what is the better one? If its organic does it make it more 'Green'? These are questions that most don't know the answer too. In our society frozen foods, fast food, easy to cook meals are the target of marketing. You can heat up a full meal in just a matter of minutes that you didn't have to cook! The ease in which families can eat dinner makes life simple and quick. Another issue is not only choice but the volume of consumption. I must admit that I do eat a lot. I weigh about 210 lbs, I'm active, and I'm a college student. I like to eat. The amount of calories is a detriment on the environment because the demand forces more land to be cultivated, faster, depleting the soil and its nutrients.

There are answers. There are better choices that I can make.

Why can't green food be more friendly on the green in our wallets?

I am sorry to say that I usually don’t think about the environment when I am making my food choices. I think the biggest deterrents to buying more green products are price and the infrastructure. As a student, buying organic and all-natural products is so difficult because we don’t have extra money to burn on those products (they are usually noticeably more expensive). Also, the society we lives with food that is wrapped in fancy packaging, imported, and loaded with preservatives. It is hard to get around that. So, instead, I shop for what I will get the most use of at cheap prices.

As I am looking at my “Made in Guatemala” Chiquita banana, I think about how this one fruit has probably caused so much negative environmental backlash. First of all, it came all the way from Central America, which right there has such a negative impact because of the distance it took to transport it. Second, Chiquita bananas, like most commercial bananas, are probably grown in a huge sack of pesticides. All of which are probably not disposed of in the most eco-friendly way, and then run off into rivers and streams. All this and my bananas were so green (meaning under ripe, not environmentally friendly) that I haven’t been able to eat them for days!

But that is not all. I buy lettuce and I get it in those pre-chopped packages. Why not buy a whole head of lettuce and save on all the fancy packaging? I don’t know. Maybe because usually those bags of salad are usually cheaper and easier to use. I know that I don’t shop very greenly, but it is hard when we live in such a consumer society (excuses, excuses…I know!).