January 8th,
2014
My initial thoughts are
that the course seems like it is going to touch on many topics that my Economics of World Issues and Policies class
did, mainly food security. In this class food security was defined as “when all
people, at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient,
safe, and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences
for an active and healthy life” (Cardwell 2013).
It was interesting to
hear from Charles Thrift who is one of the creators of Peg which is a website
whose purpose is to raise the share of accountability, help allocate,
resources, build consensus, and provide statistics on important factors for
community and environmental wellbeing. I found it inspiring to see that we had
managed to drop water usage from 399.1 litres/day/person to 258.2
litres/day/person in the time frame of 1990 to 2010. It’s also nice to see that
the number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities has fallen
from 7,265 in 1993 to 2,005 in 2010. I attest this to be largely due to
improvements in vehicle safety but also improvements in the Winnipeg
trafficking systems.
It is sad to see that the diabetes rate is
increasing, it is expensive and taxing on the healthcare system and reflects
the effects of over-consumption, food quality, and decreased physical activity.
I think Peg is a great
website, the layout is very interactive and user friendly. I believe this
website will help bring about change by motivating people and companies to continue
improving Winnipeg. It is also a very useful tool for city planners allowing
them to readily gather statistics without the need to expend large amounts of
time or money.
References
Cardwell, R. (2013). Lecture notes
Peg. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.mypeg.ca
Thrift, C. (2014). Lecture
January 15th,
2014
This class focused around oil consumption,
emissions, and alternative energy sources. A short video our guest speaker
presented claimed that 1964 was the peak of oil discoveries. It also argues
that oil production is hitting its peak. If this is the case which both our
guest speaker and I believe, then oil prices are going to continue climbing
gradually until oil demand surpasses oil supply. At this point prices will
skyrocket causing a global crises, one which our guest speaker believes will
cause the stock market to fall.
Currently two thirds of
U.S. petroleum production goes to agriculture as fuel for tractors, production
of Fertilizers and pesticides, and the transportation of foods to our markets.
This is why local farms are important, they are usually more sustainable and
greatly decreases the need to transport food long distances. Petroleum is also
used in the manufacturing of many different items such as plastics, rubber,
detergents, synthetic fibers, paint, food additives, make-up, and medicine. We
need to use petroleum more efficiently, not only in the transportation industry
but also the manufacturing industry. I believe we should stop using petroleum
for heating and energy production as there are already many alternatives. Some
of which are hydro-electric damns; solar heating and power generation; and wind
farms. I also believe the use of nuclear power should be increased as a means
to help wean us off fossil fuels and into a renewable resource powered future.
Currently the technologies don’t exist for us to make a full transition into
renewables; however we do need to lower our dependency on petroleum.
Our guest speaker was
promoting the usage of electric vehicles due to their higher efficiencies and
lower carbon footprint. However I do not believe this to be the answer because
the batteries require the usage of “rare earth” or “heavy metals” which are
toxic to the environment if not properly disposed of and also aren’t in high
abundances. If electric vehicles were to suddenly become popular it would cause
a massive increase in demand for such “rare earth” metals and drive the price
way up. There already is a high demand for such metals as they are used in
batteries that power much of our portable devices but also are key components
in the production of solar panels, wind turbines, and other technologies.
References
Jones, N. (Nov 18, 2013). A Scarcity of Rare Metals Is Hindering Green
Technologies. In YALE environment 360. Retrieved from http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_scarcity_of_rare_metals_is_hindering_green_technologies/2711/
Textor, A.
(April 7, 2010). Top 16 uses of petroleum. In GasOilEnergy
Magazine. Retrieved from http://gasoilenergy.com/2010/04/top-16-uses-of-petroleum/
January 22nd, 2014
Today we discussed food
sovereignty which is the right to be able to choose and describe our own food
system. It was stressed how vital this is and that many people aren’t involved
and have no say in where their food comes from. Personally I am happy with my
current system of going to the grocery store and buying my food, I typically go
for cheaper brands as I am on a budget even though I know they don’t always use
sustainable practices. I have no interest in growing my own food as it is time
consuming. I believe there are many others who feel the same way as I do. However
I do see the benefits of localized and sustainable farming. If organic and
locally produced foods weren’t as expensive I would buy them all the time. I
think community gardens are a great idea; it would be even better if we could
in some way get the government to provide funding or subsidies for seeds,
structures, and equipment. As there are many people who enjoy gardening and
farming I believe we could lower the price of locally produced foods through
the use of community gardens to help supplement the market.
I did find it
interesting that we actually have enough food to feed everyone we just need a
better distribution system; I had always been under the impression that there
simply wasn’t enough food available to feed everyone. It was also nice to learn
that the majority of Manitoba’s food systems are small businesses.
January 29th,
2014
Kristina Hunter (U of M
prof.) was a guest speaker for this class and she discussed sustainable
happiness. The whole idea around it is positive psychology. Natural highs seem to promote the longest
lasting happiness; these are generally activities that don’t require large
amounts of money or substantial material goods. For me I get my natural highs
from being outdoors. Sometimes it is a walk through the forest or exploring a
new area, anything out on the water, be it sailing, kayaking, swimming, or
boating even though it isn’t the most sustainable of activities. I enjoy being
out at the cabin on a warm sunny day, it is a good way to relax and unwind. I
also enjoy sitting around a bonfire with friends. It is a good way to socialize
while still being able to connect with nature.
I had seen the movie about Bhutan
before however it still amazes me that a country who has had the opportunity to
advance technologically has chosen not to for the sake of its culture and the
happiness of its people. This gives me hope that society (particularly North
American) might one day realize technology and material goods are not
requirements for happiness.
Time
|
Activity
|
Feeling
|
How
it affects me
|
How
it affects others
|
How
it affects the environment
|
10:00AM
|
Woke up, get dressed
|
Tired
|
Ends my sleep, starts my day
|
Doesn't
|
Doesn't
|
10:15AM
|
Drive from girlfriends house to my
house
|
Tired
|
Costs money in fuel, takes 35 minutes
of my day
|
Consumes petroleum, pollutes air,
increases traffic
|
Depletes oil reserves, creates CO2
and other pollutants
|
11:00AM
|
Assist dad install exhaust on truck
|
Helpful
|
Takes time
|
Doesn’t, except for dad who benefits
|
Electricity used for heating garage.
|
1:30PM
|
Eat tuna sandwich
|
Go from hungry to full
|
Provides energy, nutrients, and protein
|
Provides revenue, depletes fish stocks
|
Stresses tuna species, creates
pollutants associated with bread production and transportation of goods
|
2:00PM
|
Install winter tires on moms car
|
cold
|
Takes, makes me cold, gives me
confidence in moms safety
|
Provides increased safety to mom and
other drivers
|
Tires are made up of rubbers that are
harmful to environment, energy needed for creation & transportation of
tires
|
3:00PM
|
Write this journal entry on laptop
|
Good
|
Takes time, requires thought, helps
achieve degree
|
Consumes electricity, provides thought
stimulating reading
|
Consumes electricity, computer is made
of harmful, and expensive components
|
5:00PM
|
Eat dinner (wieners, sauce, and rice)
|
Good, full
|
Provides energy, nutrients, and protein
|
Depletes food stocks, provides revenue
|
Creates pollutants associated with food
creation & transportation
|
6:00PM
|
Drive to school
|
Good
|
Costs money in fuel, takes 45 minutes
of time
|
Consumes petroleum, pollutes air,
increases traffic
|
Depletes oil reserves, creates CO2 and
other pollutants
|
7:00PM
|
Sit in class
|
Good, involved
|
Educates me
|
Educates me so I may benefit society,
|
Electricity, and heating used for room
|
10:00PM
|
Drive to girlfriends
|
Tired
|
Costs me little in fuel, takes 10
minutes of my time
|
Consumes petroleum, pollutes air,
increases traffic
|
Depletes oil reserves, creates CO2 and
other pollutants
|
10:30PM
|
Go to sleep
|
Tired, good
|
Provides me with rest
|
Doesn't
|
Doesn't
|
February 5th, 2014
In class today we discussed water
trading and water scarcity. I dislike the idea of water trading because if
water becomes a globally traded commodity then it will then be subject to
further exploitation. It will become a resource much like crude oil which will
start wars and conflict between countries. Those that have large water reserves
will likely be eager to sell much of it off for economic gain. Given that water
is such a valuable resource I believe that when it grows scarcer it will create
massive imbalances of power. The conflict that will arise will be much more
serious than what oil causes due to fresh water being essential for life. Without
oil we can survive, without water we cannot.
Introducing nature into the market
is a terrible idea. It would encourage companies and countries to exploit
nature. I don’t think it would help any of our issues. The idea of giving
nature rights is a far better solution. This way nature could sue polluters for
the damages caused. Not only would this discourage damaging acts but it also
would provide revenue for cleanup and remediation.
March 5th, 2014
In today’s class we discussed
children and the importance of connecting with nature. A common term used to
describe this is nature deficit disorder. The issue is the humans, particularly
children are spending less and less time outdoors. I find it ridiculous that
Canadians spend 90% of their time indoors. I hope that this statistic is not
accurate because the outdoors is a beautiful place full of activities and
adventures. I personally enjoy being outside and try be outside as much as possible.
My love of outdoors and nature likely stems from spending my weekends at the
cabin as a child, being actively involved in scouts Canada since grade 1, along
with living outside the city.
The idea that ADD (attention deficit
disorder) is linked to nature deficit disorder I disagree with. I have ADD and
was diagnosed with it in grade 2. I can testify that developing ADD is not
linked with not being connected to nature because I have been enjoying the
outdoors since before I could walk.
I do however agree that nature
deficit order exists. Technology, particularly TV and video games I believe are
linked with this as they encourage kids to stay inside however I don’t believe
this is the whole problem. Part of the problem is the way our city is designed
including the reliance on vehicles for transportation instead of biking or
walking. A solution would be to focus on enhancing our walking and biking paths
as opposed to focusing on expanding our road infrastructure. Also developing
more multi-use neighbourhoods which have necessities such as grocery stores and
schools within walking distances. Osborne village is a good example of a walk-able neighbourhood.
March 12th, 2014
Today’s lesson was on landscape
architecture, the focus was garbage, waste, landfills, and what to do with it. Our
guest speaker has been looking at how to make landscapes serve more than just
one purpose. It would be interesting if we could turn parks into water
filtration systems. Also discussed is shoal lake and the aqueduct that provides
water from the lake to Winnipeg. We are almost at 85% of its capacity which is
the max allowed.
I define nature as an area which hasn't been directly altered or changed by humans. The only exception to this
would be environments which have been restored by man such as replanted
forests. If there is a small cabin built in the middle of a forest and there is
nothing else around for miles I would still consider this to be “in” nature
because it does not have a significant impact on the surrounding area. However
the cabin still wouldn't be “part” of nature.
A sustainable environment to me
means an environment which can survive on its own indefinitely without input
from any other sources. If there are humans present than it would be an
environment (including humans) that can sustain itself indefinitely without
depleting resources for future generations.
March 19th,
2014
Today’s
class talked about image portrayal; both positive images and negative images.
Positive images can be ones that a person looks at for
encouragement, motivation, or to help relax themselves. Positive images are
also used by corporations to sell products, such as putting a picture of a
mountain stream on a water bottle. However if bottled water companies put a
picture of the mountains of plastic bottles which is where they end up or a
picture of the tap in a warehouse that actually fills the bottles I doubt sales
would be near as good. Corporations also use positive images to promote and
gain approval of projects such as dams. The image portrayed is always of the
positives, the negatives are never shown. Manitoba hydro has a bill-board which
depicts positive relations between the environment, the Aboriginal peoples, and
themselves. However Manitoba hydro and Aboriginal people are usually conflicted
against each other due to the invasive effects hydro dams have on the
Aboriginal people’s traditional way of life.
Negative
imagery can be used to help raise awareness and gain support for movements. One
image that comes to my mind is that of fish caught in plastic rings used to
hold cans. I use this image as an example because I remember seeing it lots as
a kid in campaigns to get people to not throw them in lakes, and to cut the
rings before throwing them out. I think this campaign was successful because of
the vivid images shown of fish and animals being caught in them. Also I think a
peoples strong negative reaction against oil spills is mostly because of the
images, and video of animals such as birds being covered in oil and not being
able to help themselves. If it was not for images such as these I believe the
general public would not think oil spills to be as bad as they are.
March 26th, 2014
Today
we had the director of sustainability at the University of Manitoba talk to us.
He also took us to visit an open house for plans of expanding the university. I
think it is very important for universities to have a sustainable design and
atmosphere because it influences others to follow in the same path.
Universities are important representatives of a city. They are symbols for
advancement in both careers and technologies. If a university is sustainable in
design and thinking it will encourage students to be more sustainable in their
life choices and practices. Also it is important for a university to be
sustainable and energy efficient because they are generally quiet large and
have many buildings. If an entire campus doesn't use sustainable practices that
can be an enormous waste of energy and resources.
A
major constraint of creating a sustainable university is existing buildings and
infrastructure. Many campuses are old and therefor weren't designed with
sustainability or energy efficiency in mind. It can be very difficult to
retrofit existing buildings; there are also space constraints due to existing
infrastructure.
After
hearing about the plans for the University of Manitoba and attending the open
house I feel that the university shouldn't go through with the proposed
expansion. I think the university should make better use of existing spaces and
if need be density the current campus. High density is the most sustainable way
of doing things and is much more energy efficient. Also by not expanding
outwards the university can continue using there district heating/power system instead
of having to create another energy source for the new buildings.
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