Green Philosophy Statement

To me green building and planning is an essential component to the continuation of human existence. Are population is too high to continue with the unsustainable practices of the past. We have already caused much damage to the earth which when combined with increasing population is a recipe for disaster. Green building and other sustainable practices must be enforced so that we can reverse these effects and protect our fragile environment. Green building and planning must be applied to residential and commercial buildings. It also must become the basis for both regional and global planning.

Cities should be designed in a green and sustainable manner. Not only does this reduce the footprint of the city and its citizens but it also makes sense in many other ways. Green cities will make more efficient use of utilities therefore reducing the size and amount of infrastructure required to support the city. Green cities promote healthier living by encouraging a more active lifestyle along with increasing the overall happiness of its citizens by having a more integrated and connected community.

Green cities should have streets that tend more to active transportation such as biking and walking than it does to personalized automobile use. This means using wide sidewalks and bike-lanes which are separated from automobile lanes. There should be a safe means of crossing the automobile lanes for pedestrians. The city should be designed with high connectivity. There should be a transit system ample enough so that personalized automobile use is not required for convenient living. Multi-use buildings should be utilized so that amenities are closer together and within walking distance for many residences. The use of big box stores and large shopping complexes with massive parking lots should be avoided. Medium and high density buildings should make up most of the residential living spaces. District heating and cooling should be employed as it is far more efficient than conventional single building heating/cooling systems. Renewable energy sources should be used to power these cities. Use of green spaces and parks should be integrated to help reduce the urban heat island effect along with reducing the amount of impervious surfaces. Existing cities should try to integrate as many of these features as possible and try promote active transportation and living.

Buildings need to be made more efficient. Green technologies and features should be integrated into building codes. The capital cost will be higher but in the long run reduced utility costs will offset this. Building code should require that all new homes use energy efficient furnaces and water fixtures. Manitoba has already implemented this into their building code (Turenne 2010). Buildings should use green roofs to help insulate buildings along with reducing storm water and the urban heat island effect. This will also help increase the vegetative mass in cities. When green roofs aren’t a viable option high-albedo roofing should be used. Buildings should also be designed to maximize day-lighting and in cool climates should incorporate passive solar heating. Warm climates should use shading techniques to assist with cooling while maintaining day-lighting. Buildings should be constructed of materials with a recycled content or else should be sourced from sustainable practices. Preference should be made for locally sourced materials.

There are many other green technologies that can be incorporated into buildings depending on funding, climate and the needs of the building and its occupants. As time progresses more green and sustainable technologies will become available and should continue to be incorporated into existing buildings when feasible. New buildings should be constructed with the highest of efficiencies that funding can support. By doing this along with moving away from a consumer based economy we should be able to preserve the environment and its resources so that future generations can prosper and enjoy a high quality of life.

References 
Turenne, P. (2010). Building code update requires eco-friendly fixtures: The Winnipeg Sun.      Retrieved from http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/10/15/15711351.html

The Story of Stuffs & The Story of Bottled Water

          The Story of Stuffs talks about the linear system that everything in our economy goes through and how this would only work if resources were infinite, which they are not. We have already consumed one third of the planets natural resource base. Also if a person doesn't “own” or buy a lot of stuff they are considered to be valueless. It also talks about the fact that as long as we are inputting toxins into the production process we are going to continue getting toxic products. Another words we need to come up with non-toxic alternatives for production. Due to bio-magnification human breast milk has the highest levels of toxins out of anything else in the food chain. This means that are babies are being raised with already high levels of toxins which are just going to get higher as they consume more toxins. This effect will continue to compound in future generations. Also talked about is how costs are externalized and we don’t pay the true price for products but instead pay for it in some other way or indirectly make someone else pay the price.

            The Story of Bottled Water talks about bottled water and how it is not as clean as it is advertised to be, sometimes it is worse quality than tap water. Also talked about is the amount of energy and oil resources that go into the production of the bottles, which then get shipped around the world. After we drink the water the empty water bottles that are supposed to be recycled usually get shipped off to somewhere where they get either down-cycled or simply piled up to sit for thousands of years.

            I couldn't agree more on how this system of designing stuff to break and be throw-away is bullshit. Same with the pressure put on us to buy new "updated" versions. 

Videos found at http://storyofstuff.org/movies/ 

Reflection

    I have enjoyed this course and have learned many valuable things. Throughout this semester I have learned to analyze how and why I do things, along with consider if it is the efficient and most eco friendly way I can be doing things. I have learned that caring for the environment is much more than just  the physical aspects. It also means considering how we interact with each other and ensuring everyone has equal rights and opportunities. It is also about how we view ourselves in respect to the physical environment. This course has raised my interest in environmental studies and I look forward to taking more enviro courses.

Carl Honore: In praise of slowness summary

     Carl Honore discusses in his presentation the need for us to slow down in our daily lives. When we rush and try to speed things up we become careless and we forget about the impacts of what we are doing. In the west we view time as linear, once it is gone its gone. From this is born the idea that time is money and therefore we try to find ways to speed things up and do things faster, but when we do this we often forget to enjoy ourselves and don't give others the time they deserve. This results in poor or broken relationships and a lack of communication.
     A new "slow" movement is spreading across the world. It started with the whole slow food idea, that we need to get away from fast food and return to more traditional foods which are healthier. There are now "slow" cities being built where the infrastructure is focusing on slowing down and recreational leisure sites such as parks and walkways. There is a slow sex movement which is focusing on better quality sex as opposed to "quickies". Some European country's are reducing the hours worked in a day, they are finding the productivity actually increases along with quality of life. Not everything we do needs to have a timer on it. This is not saying that for somethings slow is best, there are situations where we need speed and to do things quickly. What we need to do is find the balance and be able to shift gears depending on the situation.

Life and Death of the Salt Marsh summary

     John Teal and Mildred Teal's article is about the ecological significance of salt marshes. Salt marshes vary depending on the region upon which it is found. In the north the marshes are covered in a dense grass. The roots bind the wet mud into a firm surface. In the south the marshes are covered by only one grass which is much more separated than in the north. The roots however are developed into an intricate mass holding the squishy mud together in a layer that floats above a more liquid layer. At low tide the salt marshes is a vast field of grasses, but at high tide it becomes a floating sea of grasses where much water is visible. This environment provides a refuge for marsh animals that cannot stand submersion in salt water.
    We are destroying these marshes by dredging, filling, and building. We also destroy them indirectly via pollution. We need to implement a method of preserving these marshes which includes safeguards against increased pressures for further development due to our ever increasing population.

Environmental Justice for All summary

    Robert D. Bullard's article is about environmental discrimination against racial minorities and the poor. In 1991 the idea of what "the environment" is was broadened to include where we live, work, play, worship, and go to school, along with the prior understanding of it to be the physical and natural world. Since the early 1920's through to 1978, over 80 percent of Houston's landfills and incinerators have been located in or close to Black neighbourhoods, thus exposing them to many harmful substances. Similar discrimination's against the Black community have been made all across the nation, weather it be dumping of oil laced with toxic PCBs along roadways, or hazardous waste landfills these are all predominantly located in or along Black communities, even though Blacks make up only 20 percent of the region's population. In 1996 after five years of organizing, the EPA was finally convinced to relocate 358 Pensacola, Florida. families dioxin dump, thus marking the first time a Black community was relocated under the federal government's giant Superfund program.

Our Stolen Future summary

    Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers article discusses the disruptive developmental effects of environmental hormone mimics. The process by which chemicals are tested on animals with high dosses to determine potential health concerns has been questioned by many. As it is commonly argued "mice are not people", while this may apply to testing for carcinogens where scientist have an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms that induce cancer, it can`t be said for testing of synthetic hormone mimics because scientists have a very good grasp on the mechanisms and actions of hormones. It has also been discovered that in most cases of testing for hormone and endocrine disruptors an extremely high dose causes less damage than lower doses. This adds a further complication to determining whether a synthetic chemical is dangerous or not.

Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment summary

     Sandra Steingraber discusses in her article the need for further research on environmental factors in cancer incidences. She discuses how she has cancer and so does many members of her adoption family, however her biological family doesn't have history of cancer in it. This is proof that cancer is inherited  from the environment as opposed to being passed down through family genes. She also discusses the process by which cancer forms. Also discussed is the various substances that are known to cause cancer, however what is not known is how these substances behave when they are combined. Unfortunately most cancer research is focused on inherited cancers which make up only about 10 percent of known cancers. Cancer research needs to focus more on environmental factors that are causing cancer. We need to take on the approach of not using toxic substances unless their is no other way of accomplishing the task.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being summary

     The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment covers the need for changes in government, economics, technology, social behaviour, and knowledge in order to achieve a sustainable future. Approximately 60% of the ecosystem services that were assessed during the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are being degraded or used unsustainably. This includes freshwater, capture fisheries, air and water purification, regulation of climate, natural hazards, and pests. The effects of degradation of ecosystem services are being borne mostly by the poor which is further contributing to inequalities across groups of people. These problems are only going to get worse, as by 2050 global GDP is expected to increase by three to six times its level. The structure and function of ecosystems has changed more rapidly in the second half of the twentieth century than any other time in human history. This is mainly due to rapidly growing demands for food, freshwater, timber, fiber, and fuel. The eight Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000 are aimed at improving human well-being by reducing poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality, by insuring education for all, by controlling and managing diseases, by tackling gender disparity, by ensuring environmental sustainability, and by pursuing global partnerships.

Reflection

     The unit on food has really opened my eyes to where my food comes from and the environmental impacts of buying cheaper food that is imported from around the world and is provided by unsustainable practices. It really doesn't make sense to buy food that is imported from across the country or globe when we can and do grow the exact same food locally. It just creates excess use of fuel and excess emissions through transportation of the good. Locally grown foods should be made more available in large grocery stores, its fresher, supports the local economy and reduces reliance on transportation. Now when I am buying foods I try find better quality foods and food that is grown locally. Price is no longer my deciding factor.
    I don't think that GMO's are necessarily a bad thing. I think they are an important technology in future food development and can help increase our food security however, more research and funding needs to go into the development of GMO's so that we are more certain of what the effects will be one both humans eating the food and on the surrounding environment. The idea of patenting life is a scary one, I think the line needs to be drawn there, otherwise we are going to end up with a world dominated (more so than already) by a select few very powerful multinational corporations.

John Doerr sees salvation and profit in greentech summary

    John Doerr discusses in his video green technologies and there implementation. Walmart which is the largest private user of electricity has made becoming green a top priority. They made their stores more efficient by painting the roofs white to make cooling easier, installing skylights to harness daylight instead of using artificial lighting, and installing doors and led lighting on all their refrigerators and freezers. By Walmart declaring they are going to go green and be profitable it strongly encourages other corporations and businesses to do the same because Walmart is on of the most powerful and influential corporations.
    Brazil mandated that every gas station carry ethanol, they also mandated that all their new vehicles be flex-fuel (can run both ethanol or gasoline). As a result they now have 29,000 ethanol pumps as verses the U.S.'s 700, their car fleet is now 85% flex-fuel as versus the U.S.'s 5%. By doing this they have reduced their fuel consumption by 40% and reduced their country's CO2 emissions by 10%. There are new green technologies being  developed everyday with funding for research and development coming from all over the place, however Doerr is scarred it isn't enough. Scientists estimate that we need to decrease CO2 emissions by 1/2 in order to stabilize our atmosphere.
    The problem is even though we got the political will in the U.S. to reduce emissions, we need to reduce emissions all over the world, in order to do this we need to make it economically viable for everyone and make it so all country's still have the ability to make profit.

Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems summary

    Peter M. Vitousek, Harold A. Mooney, and Jerry M. Melillo collaborate on this article about the impacts of our accelerating dominance over the Earth's ecosystems.  Human enterprises such as agriculture, industry, fishing, and international commerce transform the land surface, altering major biological cycles and adding or removing species from ecosystems. These changes prompt further changes through a domino effect which is driving climate change and irreversible losses of biological diversity. It has been estimated that 39 to 50% of the Earth's land has been transformed or degraded by humanity. The most powerful of which is row-crop agriculture which occupies 10 to 15% of the Earth's land surface. This land transformation is the primary driving force in the loss of biological diversity.
    Humans also have a substantial impact on marine ecosystems. We use about 8% of the primary production from oceans, with 25% in upwelling areas and 35% in temperate continental shelf systems. As of 1995 22% of marine fisheries were over-exploited or already depleted, 44% were already at their limit of exploitation.
    We have also significantly altered biogeochemical cycles by addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, deliberately fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere, substantial use of the worlds fresh water supply (over half) with 70% going to use for agriculture. Synthetic organic chemicals also play a major role in the alteration of biogeochemical cycles, many of them are highly toxic to humans and animals, they also tend to persist in the environment for decades.
    Recent calculations suggest that current rates of species extinction are among the order of 100 to 1000 times those before humanity's dominance over the Earth. 11% of birds, 18% of mammals, 5% of fish, and 8% of plant species are currently facing threat of extinction. Humans have also largely increased the rate of biological invasion (invasive species). These invasive species can introduce new pathogens and also can out compete some of the native species which puts further stress on the ecosystem. Our number one goal should be to try and reduce the rate at which we alter the Earth's systems, thus hopefully giving ecosystems a better chance to change and adopt.

Zoo reflection

    I think zoo's should continue there role in conservation by breading endangered species along with taking in endangered species that have been injured and likely wouldn't survive on their own. I also think it important that zoo's continue to educate people through use of informational signs and guided tours. 

I don't think it is very ethical to keep any animals in a zoo (aside from ones that otherwise wouldn't be able to survive on their own due to either abandonment or injury) because they are living creatures that are meant to be wild and free, not put on display in some cage or confined area. I do however enjoy going to a zoo because I get to see animals that i would otherwise never get to see, but I still feel they shouldn't be captivated simply for our own entertainment and education. 

Women's Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation summary

    Vandana Shiva's article discusses how women's knowledge and skill is essential to the preservation of biodiversity. Women bring a different outlook on things than men do, which helps in problem solving and helps contribute to diversity. Men will typically specialize in one area or trade, whereas women typically work in many fields and trades. They will be inside cleaning house and in the same day out planting seeds for crops. Women's work and knowledge in agriculture is found "in between" sectors, they will normally have knowledge and will work many different sectors without specializing in any particular one. In India women conserve seed, and conserve diversity, they also perform tests for seed selection and propagation. However multinational corporations are transforming women and farmers from seed "custodians" to seed "consumers" by creating hybrid seeds which are biologically patented thus preventing farmers from using the offspring for seeding the next year. Farmers must go back and buy seeds every year now, and if they try produce there own seed it is considered patent infringement. This creation of corporation owned seed has taken the power and capabilities to maintain biodiversity and steady income from women.

My Food System

    What i like about my food system is that most of my meals are relatively easy to make, I eat foods that taste good. However I don't pay attention to where the food comes from and whether it is organic or not, I hadn't thought about these things until they were brought up in this class. I usually try buy cheaper food, however I don't like the price of some items particularly healthy foods, they are rather costly. Another thing I don't like about my food system is that because I buy primarily cheaper and easier to make foods the nutritional value isn't always what it should be and I don't eat the healthiest sometimes. Also I have come to realize that most of my food is transported a long ways which is leaving a larger carbon footprint than I would like. The last problem with my food system is that because I buy a lot of cheap food I know that I am likely helping to support cruel and harsh animal conditions.

Reflection

   I really enjoyed the discussions on sustainable development and energy sources. I think energy production and usage is a major problem that needs immediate attention. I have always been fascinated with the building of efficient systems, particularly in the transportation industry. However i had not realized the extent of green technology's that are already being implemented in the residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. The possibilities for green cities and self-sustaining cities is endless, many concepts and ideas are within are capabilities. Are major obstacle in the construction of these green cities is government support, but with growing populations and increasing demands and pollution of our environment I feel the governments only option is to get behind these projects and start helping fund them and promote further development by using tax brakes and subsidies for implementation of green technology's.

My Reliance On Fossil Fuels

   I am comfortable with my current reliance on fossil fuel, I am currently in the process of selling my 3/4 ton diesel truck, I have sold my quad and am currently driving a 2008 ford focus which is really good on gas so i do feel my reliance is sustainable for the next ten years. My house uses an electric water heater and electric stove, however I do feel it would be beneficial to switch over from my current high-efficiency gas furnace to an electric furnace due to the fact that in Manitoba most of our power is generated via hydroelectric dams which have a lower impact on our environment than fossil fuel powered electric stations. To further reduce my fossil fuel reliance i could start car-pooling with someone from around my area as i do live 45 minutes away.

Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization summary

    Lester R. Brown's article encompasses the effects that environmental degradation and population growth are having on the worlds food supply. Demand for food is growing faster than supplies can grow which is causing an increase in the price of food. When food supplies are to low to feed a country's population then the government often loses power. This leads country's to become a source of terrorists, drugs, weapons, and refugees which threatens political stability everywhere. The price of grain one of the worlds most important and most demanded crops is further driven up by a demand for crop-based automotive fuels. The problem on the supply side of things that is of immediate concern is falling water tables and fresh water shortages. Irrigation uses 70% of the worlds freshwater, water is being pumped out of underground sources faster than rainfall can recharge it. If water tables continue to shrink as they are we will be lead to unmanageable food shortages and social conflict. Soil erosion is of second most concern, topsoil is eroding faster than new soil can form. Topsoil is essential to our survival for without it crops will cease to grow. It takes long stretches of time for topsoil to build up and is usually only about  six inches deep. The third threat to the worlds food supply is rising surface temperature. An increase of one degree Celsius above normal can lead to a decrease in wheat, rice, and corn production by 10 percent.

A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030 summary

   Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi's article is about the feasibility of redesigning the worlds energy systems so that instead of using fossil fuels they use alternative energy sources. Included are only technologies that have near zero emissions and are working or close to working today.
   It is planned that all the worlds energy needs can be supplied by wind, water, and solar resources, otherwise referred to as WWS. WWS will supply electric power for heating, transportation, and hydrogen production for use in fuel cells that would power airplanes and industry. In their plan 51% of the worlds power would be supplied by wind with 3.8 million large wind turbines. 40% would come from photovoltaics and concentrated solar plants. The remaining 9% would come from 900 hydroelectric stations of wich 70% are already in place. The overall construction cost of a WWS system would be around $100 trillion worldwide over 20 years. However over time this would be payed back through savings in healthcare, environmental, and security costs along with sale of electricity and energy.
   The use of WWS systems would significantly benefit the climate, air quality, water quality, ecology, and energy security. The obstacles are primarily political, not technical.

Climate change 2007: The Physical Science Basis summary

    This article released from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  discusses the effects we are having on the earths atmosphere and what the impacts on the earth will be if we continue emitting greenhouse gasses like we are. The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased significantly since the pre-industrial era. This increase in greenhouse gasses was predicted to cause a global increase in temperature. We now have evidence that this is true and climate change has already begun. Since 1961 global surface and ocean temperatures have increased along with an increase in the average atmospheric water vapour content which is due to the fact that warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Glaciers, ice sheets  and snow cover has decreased significantly and is contributing to the rise in sea level. Changes in weather patterns along with more severe weather has also been observed and can be attributed to climate change. It is predicted that heat waves and  heavy precipitation events will increase along with both the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. Even if we were to hold greenhouse gasses at a consistent level we would still see an increase in global temperature  between 1.8 Celsius and 4.0 Celsius. This means that we have already done irreparable damage however the longer we continue with rising greenhouse gasses the worse this problem is going to get. Therefore from both environmental and economic standpoints it would be best to take action immediately.