Video: In Global Warming

Consider this cartoon from the POV of environmental ethics:

water Calculator

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-footprint-calculator/

My food consumption manifesto

My food consumption manifesto

I will try to:

• purchase food grown and produced in this area and in the surrounding states as much as possible

• avoid imported food except when justified by its unique qualities (coffee, bananas, chocolate, Brazil nuts, some cheeses, e.g.)

• buy domestic “artisanal” cheeses, beer, wine, chocolate

• purchase minimally processed food  with less packaging, preferably with recyclable containers

• avoid processed foods and high fructose corn syrup

• purchase lean meats that are locally grown and processed and humanely raised with sustainable methods, preferably organic

• purchase organically grown vegetables and fruit

• eat more organically grown food

• eat less meat

• find out more about the origins of the food I eat

• cook more, eat out less

• eat at restaurants that support the local economy and sustainable food practices

• continue to avoid fast food and franchise foods (when possible)

• continue to eat whole grains and sprouted whole grains-- continue to bake my own bread

• eat wild caught and sustainable species of fish (when possible)

• learn more about hunting for local wild foods, such as mushrooms, wild herbs and vegetables

• grow more of my own vegetables at the community garden

Daily Consumption Patterns

It's interesting to think about my daily consumption patterns.  The difference in sustainability between locally bought food and produce grown far away is astonishing.  Also, to think about the normal things we buy in life, and the impact they have on planet earth is shocking.

For example, a pair of shoes.  The material is put together and made into a shoe in China or some other far away country.  Then, the shoe is stuffed with paper and put into a cardboard box, both made from trees from another far away country.  The shoes are then shipped on a boat or plane to a distribution center or warehouse in the US.  They are taken from the boat to a truck, both fueled by large amounts of diesel fuel, and taken to a distribution center.  The shoes are then eventually trucked again across our country to local stores to be purchased.  Who knew all of that went into buying a pair of shoes?

Consumption

Generally, I try to watch my consumption on things that have an affect on the environment. And I think I do a pretty good job compared to my peers. My biggest thing right now is recycling. I recycle almost everything; mainly plastics, glass, cardboard, and aluminum. Recycling helps the environment because we reuse things instead of putting energy into making new one. I've found that it also saves a lot of trash bags from being used. This in turn saves me money and makes one less thing that I use. Also, I don't have a car, which means I don't drive much at all.

But on the other hand, I do consume quite a bit. I'll admit that even though I don't own a car, I use one whenever I have access. I'm not a big fan a walking places, especially in the cold, early morning. I used to have a bike and used it quite a bit, but now that I don't have one anymore, I drive a lot more often. Also, I own a lot of electronics that probably use a lot of energy. I try to keep my electric use down when I can by turning off lights when I leave a room and things like that. Awhile back I found out that just leaving a charger plugged into the wall without it charging anything uses a lot of energy, so I try to keep that to a minimum.

Materialism is something that I try to stay away from. I think its a huge problem in this country because we have so much access to pretty much anything we want. But in reality, we don't need a majority of these things that supposedly make our lives better. Things like a huge TV's, big trucks, and any luxery that uses electricity. People like nice things, and I get that, but the real question nowadays is do we really need them?

Eco-footprint calculator

How many planet Earths would it take to support your lifestyle if everyone consumed as you do? 

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/personal_footprint/

Blog prompt for TH 1/27

Blog on your consumption patterns, trends and ethic.  By class time.

First read Durning and Williams.  This will help orient you to some of the issues.  

Then reflect on your patterns of consuming.  What sorts of things do you consume? own? want to own?  Does consuming bring you happiness?  Do you ever think about your consumption as having an impact on the environment?  Do you find yourself thinking more about this?  Would you say that our dominant culture is "materialist", i.e. oriented toward the acquisition of things and "living high on the hog"?  What life decisions appear to follow from this?  

If you have a consumption ethic, try to explain what that is for you.  If you don't, try to imagine what yours might become, how it might evolve, and what choices that might yield.