Tag Archives: Environment

Tree of Metaphors

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In Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species, I was very intrigued by a passage that Darwin wrote comparing a tree to life and its “struggle for existence.” I really enjoyed this passage because it was quite different. I was not used to reading a scientific novel that had used metaphors before. I enjoyed this passage because it painted a picture of what Darwin must have been thinking during the time he was coming up with his theory on natural selection. This tree metaphor that Darwin uses helps explain natural selection and is also a good indicator of what he was imaging before he drew his “tree of evolution.” Continue reading →

Environmental Factors and Autism

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After reading part of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, I immediately thought of autism, which is a complex disorder of brain development. Symptoms of this disorder begin to show when a child is of a very young age, usually around three. It has different degrees of severity that can affect social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. Today, it generally affects about one out of every eighty-eight children in the United States every year alone. However, this number has continued to increase for the last four decades, but some doctors have suggested that this increase in autistic cases could just be that there is actually a name for it now. It might have always been present, but now that there is a name for it, doctors are able to classify the disorder.

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Dr. Wheeler’s Epigenetics

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Wendy Wheeler’s lecture on Green Imaginaries: Biosemiotics, History, Memory and the Future, featured many interesting thoughts upon the natural world and its connection with the environment. Dr. Wheeler described the importance of complexity in nature and how ecocriticism is a great way to understand how the environment works. I thought it was engaging how Dr. Wheeler spoke about Lamarck in her talk especially because he believed that environmental stress is due to epigenetics, which “will cause permanent effects if the environment stays that way” (Dr. Wheeler). Dr. Wheeler described Epigenetics as a very intriguing topic due to the fact that environmental stressors can create changes in a species DNA. Continue reading →

Rethinking the Commons

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The lecture by Joni Adamson on “Rethinking the Commons” was very intriguing. Adamson focused her lecture on what is considered “the commons” and how the word has changed drastically since it was first coined. “The commons” was first described as a type of resource or land used by the community but now in modern day use it is considered an overgrazed pasture. She described how environmental justice focuses not only on the environment but also social justice in literature. She explains how amaranth or pigweed is actually considered a very durable plant and has been quite resourceful for people during depressions. Adamson goes on to describe Monsanto, a corporation known for its agricultural biotechnology and its production of genetically engineered seeds.

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Green Deception

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Hybrid waste article: 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/does-hybrid-car-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits.htm

Hybrid vehicle implications: 

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es702178s

Toyota Prius Harmony:  

http://vimeo.com/7384947

While car companies may give the impression that they are on the green side, it is visible that they are really just concerned with selling another product. Advertisement agencies have been able to take advantage of the consumer’s care for the environment and manipulate it. Consumers are told that if they buy a hybrid car with great gas mileage then they will be saving the planet and will be protecting the younger generations. Although this point is partially true you have to look at the process of creating one of these hybrid cars. For instance, the production that goes into making a Toyota Prius is one that is quite costly towards the environment. According to writer Dave Roos of HowStuffWorks.com, “in 2007, a report commissioned by an auto industry trade group insisted that when you factor in the waste generated during production, the notoriously gas-guzzling Hummer is actually greener than the Prius” (Roos). This shows that although the car does promote environmentally friendly miles per gallon it is actually damaging towards the environment. Not only is the waste produced by a hybrid car terrible for the surroundings, but the manufacturing factor is terrible as well. The process of building a lithium-ion battery takes incredible amounts of energy to produce, more so than a conventional car. They rely on mining nickel, copper and rare-earth metals like lithium, which are responsible for higher sulfur oxide emissions (Constantine Samaras). Continue reading →

Greenwashed Car Commercials

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We’ve all seen it a dozen times on television, a commercial shows a shiny, new car driving up windy, mountainside roads, and a narrator lists all the environmentally friendly aspects of the vehicle. The automobile company will argue that it’s the greenest car out there, and they have the best ideas for a sustainable auto industry. You’re quickly distracted by all the promises of high gas mileage, road handling, comfortable interiors and safety features. Before you know it, the car has reached the top of the mountain, looking out onto a bright, sunny field or even a clear, blue ocean and sometimes even the surrounding wildlife like it! This specific car is one with Earth, in complete harmony with its surrounding environment.

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The Creation Story

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Variations of the creation story can be found in many different cultures. Most of the native peoples were converted to Christianity when the Europeans came to America; however, many of these people were able to uphold their cultural traditions. Christian missionaries had a huge influence on the Akimel O’odham people living on the rivers of central Arizona. The Spanish missionaries, who renamed them “Pimas,” converted many Akimel O’odham people to Christianity. Through the teachings of the Spaniards, the Pimas were able to adopt their own story of creation; similar to the story found in Genesis.

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