Ecojustice Education

According to the essay, one way of educating people is similar to industrialism.  I believe that the education system in Wake County, NC is pretty good.  A few years ago, it was ranked as one of the top school districts in the country.  Even though Wake County has gone through a lot of issues with segregation and integration over the past few years, I believe that the schools in Wake County have still held up their reputation.  The students graduating from Wake County Schools are still performing highly on their standardized tests and are still being accepted to excellent universities.  In the essay, it also talks about how Americans have began losing noble values.  Americans have become wasteful of our resources and time.  Our society has lost sight of the main values that once held our society together. 

Meatrix

At first, I didn't take the Meatrix episodes seriously but then they actually made me put my thoughts into a new perspective.  We have a mindset of where we think our meat comes from, and we try to avoid the reality of where it really does come from.  It is common for individuals to think our meat comes from the typical family farm and do not realize that the meat comes from animals that are factory farmed.

While I was watching the several videos, I couldn't help but think about if factory farming was occuring anywhere near where I live.  Since these types of farms are often hidden amongst many different towns, I would not be surprised.

Biotechnology

Genetically Modified foods are thought to possibly lessen problems of hunger and starvation by boosting food production. However, critics of biotechnologies such as genetically modified crops, find that agricultural companies are the ones that benefit more from the GM crops than the poor and the hungry do.  This does not seem right to me since the whole point of it is to help the poor. Sure, there are benefits of GM crops and some people strongly support them, but others do not.  While reading in Real Texts, I was surprised at the different ways it was saying to use your information in persuasive essays.  It gave many ideas that I think will be very beneficial when I am writing future persuasive essays.

“Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time”

Underground water pollution and hydraulic fracturing are being linked.  Due to the gas drilling process that has been occurring in many of our states, there are contaminants that are causing underground water pollution.  A specific case of this is in Pavillion, Wyoming.  Ever since the mid-1900’s, residents near Pavillion have complained that their drinking water has worsened.  This began occurring after gas wells were fracked nearby.  The EPA determined that the contamination in this town had most likely seeped up from gas wells.  The mixing of hydraulic fracturing fluids with ground water caused many different compounds to be formed.  The company that owns the Pavillion wells says that it was naturally caused and that the company’s actions were not to blame.  However, the EPA concluded that the contamination had to have been caused by fracking.  Members of congress are now considering proposals to regulate fracking. 

Writing an Essay vs. A Powerpoint Presentation

I feel that researching a topic and putting it in a powerpoint is a lot easier for me than writing an essay.  I like the fact that I am able to break up my information on different slides and use titles, pictures, charts, and graphs to go along with the information on each of my powerpoint slides.   To me, this makes my organization of information a lot better and easier to follow.  When I create a powerpoint, I am able to write my key points on separate slides and then further elaborate.  Sometimes when I am writing an essay, I feel like I have too much information to deal with and sometimes it is hard to understand what my main points are.  I typically enjoy making powerpoints.  I do not enjoy writing essays because I usually become highly stressed and overwhelmed.

Environmental History

Throughout history, Raleigh, NC and the towns surrounding Raleigh have changed tremendously.  In the mid-1900's, the area consisted of open land.  Since then, buildings and houses have been built and are continuing to be built.  One of the reasons for such an extreme growth in the suburb area as well is due to the great location around the city which makes it convenient for individuals who work in the Raleigh area and the Research Triangle Park.  The RTP area brings a lot of businesses and workers since it is so well known.  The environment is highly effected by this because trees have been cut down and the land is cleared in order for the houses and buildings to be built.  This then makes certain species die out since their living environments have been changed and effected.

Religion & The Environment

I think there could be a relationship between religion and the environment.  As long as this relationship does not become harmful in any way, I believe religion has a chance to shape our attitudes towards the environment and ecology.  Even though most religions involve the presence of a being greater than themselves as well as faith, and the environment simply is essential to Earth, there's no reason for them to not be able to join together to benefit one another.