McKibben Podcast and Bioregional Quiz

Taking the bioregional quiz opened eyes that many people do not understand the surrounding world. Many people in a community could not describe the soil, name the types of trees, or explain where garbage is taken. It is apparent that little is noticed about the environment, and McKibben expresses that in the podcast done with Scientific American. Stated in the podcast and McKibben’s book Eaarth, the earth in which people reside and were born on is not the same as the current one. This new earth cannot support the economy and growth that people have taken, and this makes a lot of sense. The podcast ties a lot to what Nash states in “Island Civilization.” Population growth has caused a lot of harm to the earth, and both Nash and McKibben have concluded that building is not the solution. McKibben actually states that people have developed a complexity for a “bigger world,” and because of that, people opt for building new structures to “fix” the issues that arise. However, humankind needs to take a step back and actually “hunker down” in order to assist with those issues. According to McKibben, purchasing food at a local farm is a great step toward making change in the environment. One of the questions asked in the bioregional quiz inquires if people know where food is grown, and many people cannot answer that question. If the world moves toward local farms, like McKibben states, it would bring people closer to the environment.

Pollution in America

Recycling is one of the many details people do not often consider throughout their day. With busy schedules that cause people to be on the constant move, tossing a bottle into a trash receptacle seems like the easiest thing to do. However, people do not realize that such an act can have detrimental effects on the earth. Roderick Nash’s proposal of an “island civilization” illuminates the stature of the pollution dilemma in the world today.

Pollution can come in a variety of forms – land, air, water are the top three – and each can have harmful effects on people and the environment around us. Landfills contain a concoction of toxins, chemicals, bacteria, and other wastes that can brutally spoil the living conditions of the land surrounding them. “Every year one American produces over 3,285 pounds of hazardous waste” (Green Student U). With approximately 313 million people in America, the total waste for the United States alone would estimate 1,028,205 pounds. That is a staggering amount of pollution. Landfills in the United States can also impact the air and water nearby; gases taint the air while chemicals seep into the ground and sully the water (Information for Action). Not only are the living conditions not acceptable for humans and animals, but for flowers, trees, and grass, too. Plants cannot flourish with chemicals destroying them and wastes blocking their paths to the surface. One of the sad facts about landfills is that over 80% of the items can be recycled (Green Student U). However, as stated earlier, many people are seemingly “too busy” to recycle and therefore contribute to the problem at hand.

In order to reduce the pollution in America and, essentially, the world itself, the fundamental change would be to ensure that there is an increase in recycling. People would have to: invest in items that can be reused rather then used then thrown away; carpool, walk, or bike for transportation; cut down on smoking; and avoid washing chemicals down pipes and drains. These simple solutions, and many others, can significantly decrease pollution on Earth and would keep “island civilization” out of the future.

"Encyclopedia." Green Student U. Green Student U. Web. 22 Aug 2012. <http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution>.

"Land Pollution." Information for Action. Information for Action. Web. 22 Aug 2012. <http://www.informaction.org/index.php?menu=menua.txt&main=landpol_gen.txt>.

Island Civilization: Summary and Response

Roderick Nash begins this essay by speaking about millenniums; he says what exactly they are and how they came to be. He then ties together millenniums and wilderness and civilization. Nash continues to say that the purpose for his essay is to go over the history between humans and nature and how it will turn out in the Fourth Millennium.

Nash explains that his idea involves dramatic changes in the world and in humans especially, but he explains that Island Civilization is possible and is a topic that needs more discussion in order to progress the thought. The purpose of his essay is to kick-start a discussion of how to change the Earth for the better before it is too late. He asks the readers to consider the word ‘wilderness’ and explains that it “literally means self-willed land,” land that is untouched by humans. Humans depended on growing a civilization rather than survival skills in order to stay alive. Nash explains that the reason for doing so, especially when colonists arrived in the New World, was because the Bible cursed ‘wilderness’ due to Adam and Eve’s punishment of being banished to the wild.

Nash continues his argument that turns into an explanation of ecology. He also mentions the Protection Act and Endangered Species Act that allowed other species to have the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness just as humans do. Nash explains that humans are not the only creatures that are occupy the planet; therefore other species should have the right to wilderness just as humans have the right to civilization. Towards the end of his argument, he mentions possible outcomes by the time the Fourth Millennium rolls around; they are the wasteland scenario, garden scenario, future primitive, and island civilization. Each one is explained, and he points out that island civilization seems to be the best choice. In order to bring island civilization about, humans must learn self-restraint and put Earth before them. Nash believes island civilization will be possible by using our knowledge of technology in good ways.

Nash’s essay was an extremely detailed report on wildlife and human interaction with nature. There were many fascinating facts that I had not known, such as the four possible outcomes Earth may end in. I do agree with Nash in saying that island civilization does sound the best when compared to a wasteland, or manmade garden with no wildlife, or even backtracking to a more primitive state. Island civilization sounds best because it is combining the human need to build and be civilized while keeping the earth pure and untouched.

Island civilization would mean limiting humans to confined spaces and letting Earth flourish and the animals return to their homes in the wild. It would also allow humans to learn basic survival skills if they should decide to leave the civilization and travel into the wilderness. While all that sounds fantastic, there are some concerns that I have. Obviously, predators would return to the land; any human that walked into the wilderness would be endangering their life by crossing into the wild. It would be especially dangerous for children to travel alone. When the time comes to make a decision on which path Earth should follow, if island civilization is the choice, a very well thought out plan of security and protection for the lives of humans would need to be considered before finalizing any decisions.

Another problem that arises is the idea that the human population would have to be brought down to 1.5 billion. Nash states that “one version…might mandate that 1.5 billion people live in five hundred concentrated habitats scattered widely over Earth.” 1.5 billion is, according to Nash, roughly a quarter of the current population. This would have to be done within the next about nine-hundred years, and I am not sure that is possible to do. Nash believes it is achievable if people put Earth above themselves. However, more than likely that will not be done and there will be even more people in the future than now. If a successful, safe, and thoroughly thought out course of action was brought to the table in order to fix this issue, island civilization would be possible.