Reflection weeks 5&6

Hey Everyone!

I can’t believe it’s already the sixth week of school!!! Time is flying!
Weeks five and six focused on food. I learned a lot about food and where it comes from.

During week five, I wrote my first review, on “Feeding the World”; which was very informative. I learned that our world is getting overpopulated and slowly running out food to feed us all. The article also stated the UN has a low/medium scenario that predicts fertility; averaging 1.9 children per woman for all regions by 2025, and even with the low/medium scenario Africa’s population would continue to rise approaching 2 billion people in 150 years. We also watched a video called “Diet for a New America” that mostly talked about the amount of meat products consumed by Americans; which was a tremendous amount compared to other countries worldwide. One thing that struck me the most in this film was that 80% of our grains are to animals and 12 pounds of grains equals only one pound of beef. If only we would stop eating so much meat then, we could save all the food used to feed animals. During week five I also did an eye opener called “Score Your Diet”; which revealed to me that I was harming the environment and my health greatly by the foods I consume.

Week 6 was very interesting; the most fascinating part about it was the documentary we watched called “Future of Food”. This video was very touching; I was very surprise to hear how many farmers are suffering greatly because the government wants to regulate Genetically Modified foods. I was also very shocked by the amount of food being GM in the United States right now. Most experts don’t recommend GM foods, but yet there aren’t even labeled on food products. So most people don’t really know when they’re actually eating it. Now I am wondering how much food I eat that’s genetically engineered. In week I also had to do an eye opener on reading 10, called “Scientists Say a Quest for Clean Energy Must Begin Now”. It basically talked about the Kyoto Protocol; which I didn’t really know what it was until I read this article. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement on global warming reached by the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The major industrial nations pledged to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases between 2008 and 2012. Unfortunately the US hasn’t signed it yet.

I learned a lot of new things about food during weeks five and six; I was startled by a lot facts. I’m hoping there would be better measure taken about food in the future worldwide, and that I myself would make better choices regarding the foods I eat.

Share and Voice: Organic Foods

Hey Everyone!

Dr. V mentioned in class on Tuesday that info on organic foods would be a good idea for a share and voice, so I figured since I’m behind with the share and voice I might as well do it. Thanks for the idea Dr. V!

Here’s a definition of Organic Foods
from Wikipedia:

Organic foods are made according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides and artificial fertilizers, free from contamination by human or industrial waste, and processed without irradiation or food additives.[1] If livestock are involved, they must be reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones, and generally fed a healthy diet. In most countries, organic produce may not be genetically modified.

Here are websites with more info on organic food.
http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/12-27/health-benefits-of-organic-food-article.htm

Thanks for reading!

Share and Voice: Going Green By Switching to Wireless!

Hey Everyone!

I have been living on campus at UMD for two years now. We don't have wireless in the apartments or dorms; we have to buy ethernet cables to connect to the internet. In the past two years I've bought 3 ethernet cables just because the tip keeps breaking. Fortunately this year I got room that somehow receives wireless, and it got me thinking going wireless would definetely save all that plastic wasted for ethernet cables.

It would probably be costly for UMD but I think it would be a great idea.

Thanks for reading!!

Eye Opener: Review of Reading # 10

I was assigned to read chapter 10 “Scientists Say a Quest for Clean Energy Must Begin Now”. It was a very short article but a little hard to understand. I got the main point but I had to read it twice to fully understand it. I was struck by a lot of the facts in the article but the opening of this article struck me the most. It stated that “to supply energy needs for 5o years from now without further influencing the climate, up to three times the total amount of energy now generated using coal, oil, and other fossil fuels will have to be produced using methods that generate no heat-trapping greenhouse gases, says the scientist in today’s issue of the journal Science”. I couldn’t help but imagine how much our current source of energy is hurting the environment.

The article mentions that the Kyoto Protocol would be a good way to go to produce clean energy; it includes binding deadlines for modest cuts in gas emissions. According to the article the Bush administration has refused to accept the Kyoto Protocol, calling for more research, which according to some experts would require way more attention and money.

I think it’s very unfortunate that the US hasn’t signed the Kyoto Protocol, considering that it is the nation that produces the most emissions. This article was very educational for me; I didn't know much about the Kyoto Protocol until now.


Terms


Kyoto Protocol:
An agreement on global warming reached by the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The major industrial nations pledged to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases between 2008 and 2012.