Week 14: Pre-Post

The article on the Gulf oil spill was great. Comically written, albeit about a very grave topic. I particularly enjoyed one paragraph:


     "Put it in writing!" someone shouted out. By now the air conditioning had shut itself off and the coolers of Budweiser were running low. A shrimper named Matt O'Brien approached the mic. "We don't need to hear this anymore," he declared, hands on hips. It didn't matter what assurances they were offered because, he explained, "we just don't trust you guys!" And with that, such a loud cheer rose up from the floor you'd have thought the Oilers (the unfortunately named school football team) had scored a touchdown."


     It basically sums up the anger and frustration that the people feel, and how petty the efforts are to help the individuals who are affected. The caption under the photo also gives word to how the situation is really being handled, "Obama can't order the pelicans not to die." Its so true. All the bureaucracy really doesn't accomplish anything after a situation begins to get out of control, at the very most it can hope to compensate as best as possible for the situations repercussions. 






In the article by Olson, I really agreed with his statement, "First and foremost, we are called not to forget. Remember, keep informed, and in some way be involved with ecosystem, creatures, and people of the Gulf Coast community." While I may not be able to go to the regions affected and physically do something about it, I can promote and education and legislation about to prevent this from happening again as well as making the necessary restitution to the affected parties. 


Another point that he brings to the table (that is also mentioned in the Doster Pastoral Essay) is one I had not considered at all. This is not a "natural disaster." This is a disaster caused by humans. Just because something has an terrible effect on the environment, doesn't make it a natural disaster. This was completely preventable and and the fault lies in the lap of humanity and not "Mother Nature." 

Week 13: Pre-Post

I watched the video of Majora Carter from the TED conference. After seeing that she referenced Al Gore, and from previous blogs I am sure that my feelings on him are no secret, I wanted to see what this TED business was all about. I looked them up online, and while I don't have particularly fond feelings of all of the speakers that they have had, they seemed to have a good mission. This speaker was overall great. I think she had some valid points, which I will bring up later, but first I really need to address one issue. NOT EVERYTHING IS BECAUSE YOUR BLACK. Really? Seriously? You think that the reason you have environmental degregation in your area is because of race. That just shows a poor understanding of basic business and public policy. It has to do with socio-economic class, not race. I recognize that they can appear synonymous, but that does not mean that they are.

Ok, with that out of the way, moving on to what she actually talked about. "Greening The Ghetto" which is a sustainable urban redevelopment movement, recognizes the need for parks in the South Bronx area of NYC. Now, I think this is a great thing. Living in a concrete jungle can need some green to break up the grey monotony of life there, but I wasn't really sold on the idea that that is what tax dollars need to be going to. In a time of economic crisis, is that really where we need to be putting our resources when we are going billions in debt every minute? Personally, I feel like the answer is no. BUT, one great case that Carter points out is a case study on Bogata. The fact that their crime rates and littering levels drastically dropped after implementing a similar program, was very convincing. Case studies like that are much harder to refute than theory and thus can greatly affect my opinion of an idea. 

Another statement that was made during this presentation that I particularly agreed with was when Carter stated, "I do not expect individuals of corporations to do this because it is moral or right." She recognizes that there has to be payoffs for the company. I think that if a lobbyist, activist, or anyone else promoting ecological responsibility, understands this position, they have a much higher chance at success. This understanding drives you to find a way that being ecologically-minded is beneficial for a company, because in all reality they will not change anything simply to be eco-friendly.

The one flaw I found in Carter's reasoning was in the statement, "Economic degredation leads to environmental degredation, which leads to social degredation." I struggle to see a real correlation between environmental and social degredation. I understand how there can be sometimes, but in all reality, I think that one is much more likely to participate in eco-friendly initiatives based on their social standing and not the other way around.

Week 10: Pre-Post

Ok, so lets talk about this video "The Story of Stuff." Here's the thing, research is great, essential really, and conservation is important and you can;t deny the facts. Where I begin to struggle is the concept that is taught the first week of any Prob & Stat class, and that is: Every statistic is biased by the graph on which it is displayed. I just feel like a lot of alarmists and extremist skew research findings to represent the information they feel is most true and pertinent.

I did like how the major flaw is simply stated as "We have a linear system in a finite world with limited resources." I think that is a great way to give perspective on why we have such a problem. So I watched this video and appreciated what it had to say, then I turned to the sidebar to see if there were other videos that I might be interested in from this project, and I decided to watch one on products I use everyday: cosmetics.

The first statistic that caught my attention was that the FDA has only banned 8 of 12,000 chemicals used in cosmetic products. My mom manages a company that owns a chain of health food stores. From this job, she has started to realize the dangers of a lot of toxins that we put in our bodies and can often be heard saying, "The FDA is NOT your friend. Just remember that!" For instance, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, which is typically the 2nd ingredient in shampoo, which is what causes it to lather, is horrible for your hair. In my house, we use a lot of organic and more holistic cosmetic products, such as Tom's brand.

Week 9: Post-Post

Psalm 96

    Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing!
   Sing to God—worship God!
 ^2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
   Take the news of his glory to the lost,
   News of his wonders to one and all!
 ^4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
   His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
   Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
 ^5-6 God made the heavens—
   Royal splendor radiates from him,
   A powerful beauty sets him apart.
 ⁷ Bravo, God, Bravo!
   Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
   In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
 ^8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
   Bow before the beauty of God,
   Then to your knees—everyone worship!

 ¹⁰ Get out the message—God Rules!
   He put the world on a firm foundation;
   He treats everyone fair and square.

 ¹¹ Let's hear it from Sky,
   With Earth joining in,
   And a huge round of applause from Sea.

 ¹² Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
   Animals, come dance,
   Put every tree of the forest in the choir— 

 ¹³ An extravaganza before God as he comes,
   As he comes to set everything right on earth,
   Set everything right, treat everyone fair.


Another set of scripture from The Message, but again I think it can change perspective of verses that I can skip over because I don't always want to delve deeper. 


I love this passage because my prayers for my brother, an artist and slightly communist and who knows what his religious views are this week (he's currently occupying wall street), are that he would come to know the Lord through a language he understands: Beauty. This passage dwells on the power and source of all beauty- God. He is beauty, everything that is beautiful is made and is beautiful in him. It is such a mind blowing concept. And creation is just one small part of all the beauty that the Lord encompasses. I love that is says "the Wilderness turn cartwheels." is is just such a great whimsical thought.

Week 8: Post-Post

Psalm 104- Ok, this is a super long passage, but i think it is really a great one because it just captures who we are as members of creation. This is also the Message paraphrase, but I think for the Psalms sometimes it can be a great way to wade through some of the metaphors, poetry, similes, and other literary rapids.


    O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are! 
      beautifully, gloriously robed, 
   Dressed up in sunshine, 
      and all heaven stretched out for your tent. 
   You built your palace on the ocean deeps, 
      made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. 
   You commandeered winds as messengers,
      appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. 
   You set earth on a firm foundation 
      so that nothing can shake it, ever. 
   You blanketed earth with ocean, 
      covered the mountains with deep waters; 
   Then you roared and the water ran away— 
      your thunder crash put it to flight. 
   Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out 
      in the places you assigned them. 
   You set boundaries between earth and sea; 
      never again will earth be flooded. 
   You started the springs and rivers, 
      sent them flowing among the hills. 
   All the wild animals now drink their fill, 
      wild donkeys quench their thirst. 
   Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, 
      ravens make their voices heard. 
   You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; 
      earth is supplied with plenty of water. 
   You make grass grow for the livestock, 
      hay for the animals that plow the ground. 

 ^14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, 
      wine to make people happy, 
   Their faces glowing with health, 
      a people well-fed and hearty. 
   God's trees are well-watered— 
      the Lebanon cedars he planted. 
   Birds build their nests in those trees; 
      look—the stork at home in the treetop. 
   Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; 
      badgers burrow among the rocks. 
   The moon keeps track of the seasons,
      the sun is in charge of each day. 
   When it's dark and night takes over, 
      all the forest creatures come out. 
   The young lions roar for their prey, 
      clamoring to God for their supper. 
   When the sun comes up, they vanish, 
      lazily stretched out in their dens. 
   Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, 
      busy at their jobs until evening. 

 ^24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
      You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
      made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. 
   Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, 
      brimming with fish past counting, 
      sardines and sharks and salmon. 
   Ships plow those waters, 
      and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. 
   All the creatures look expectantly to you 
      to give them their meals on time. 
   You come, and they gather around; 
      you open your hand and they eat from it. 
   If you turned your back,
      they'd die in a minute— 
   Take back your Spirit and they die, 
      revert to original mud; 
   Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
      the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. 

 ^31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever! 
      Let God enjoy his creation! 
   He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, 
      points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. 

 ^33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, 
      sing hymns to my God as long as I live! 
   Oh, let my song please him; 
      I'm so pleased to be singing to God. 
   But clear the ground of sinners— 
      no more godless men and women!

   O my soul, bless God!

I really love the phrase found in verse 25: If you turned your back for a minute, they would die. We would die. Our very life is so dependent on Him. Every breath, every thought, every moment is wrapped up in the sole status of being His. 


I also really love the power that is spoken through this whole passage, but an idea emerges in verses 31-32, which give the idea that all of these natural disasters that we fear so much and ask "God how could this happen," is at the sole whim of the creator enjoying his creation. He can exercise his power to simply point and a volcano and it will erupt, but more than that, he enjoys the power that his creation can exude. A characteristic of pride and building that can be found in the male spirit even now.

Week 8: Pre-Post

Good Stewardship, ecological awareness, and global responsibility have come to light and importance much more recently. That isn't to say that it has received as much attention as it should have, but Al Gore is doing the best he can, but hey, when you invent the internet, you don't have time for saving the world. Captain Planet, let's face it, the guy is a hero, but he disappeared in the 90's at the peak of Global Warming. Enter Al Gore.

Ok, seriously though, it is our responsibility to drive a prius, reduce our global carbon footprint, participating in Chartwells Project Clean Plate and buy fair trade Starbucks out of a 20% recycled paper cup. Clothing companies have cropped up everywhere selling more globally aware products. It is literally everywhere. But are we doing it properly?

No. Slow- food and slow-life are the right approach. Focusing on a local approach to helping be a good steward of this earth is what we should be doing. This walks hand-in-hand with slow-life approach of being aware of the world around you. If you are aware and you take notice of the world around you, you will understand the need for protection and good stewardship. The harder you work to reduce your negative impact of the planet the more you are aware of it's beauty.

We have been given this place to enjoy God's creativity, not to pillage and plunder like vikings in a new land. We owe it to humanity to honor this sacred place. We are called to enjoy it at a local level and appreciate it through responsiblity. Grocery shopping, clothing wearing, car driving, and outdoor pursuits are all a part of this.

Week 7: Post-Post

I want to revisit "Danger on the Peaks." As I mentioned in my previous post, this was my favorite by far. of anything we have read.

I have never been exposed to this style of writing, the whole prose poetry thing. I am such a straight forward person, and so the directness of it is so much more appreciated. But I also appreciated that he moves through his life in pieces. He engages the reader in so may various aspects of life, through his own experiences as well as the other people and important influences in his life. He engages ecology in such a different way. Not necessarily observing it like Mary Oliver, but through his life. He does life with nature. The brazen way he asked for the toughest, most remote peak is a direct nod to the fact that he is a part of his surroundings. He has no fear of them because he knows them inside and out. instinctively. They are a part of him innately, not through observing, but through subconscious awareness  of who he is and how that relates to nature.