Stephen Allerding
ENG 308J
March 18, 2009
Reflective Blog Essay
Never have I ever written in a blog, not including Facebook, before I took this class. When Professor Rouzie told us that all our work would be done and posted into our own blog, I was kind of skeptical. Personally, technology and computers are a weak point for me, so having to figure out how to start a blog and post things to it seemed annoying to me. After actually setting up my blog, everything was pretty easy from then on. It was a very simple process to write something and post it to a blog. Doing this made English 308J a unique class to me, causing interest to see what kind of things we would write about. I was a bit unconvinced about the whole class being based on the environment. I love the environment and try to do my part to keep it clean, but I just don’t find it real interesting to write about. My opinion on that has changed a little though. Over the quarter we have read some fascinating forms of rhetoric and our blogs have accumulated very nicely.
We started out writing about a place we know well. This was nice for me because I was able to reflect on some good memories I have had in the past. This helped lead into our first essay, which was a personal persuasive paper. Writing this essay helped me understand the concepts of writing rhetorically a little better. I was able to put myself in the paper and make it emotional, yet credible.
After our first essay, came some rhetorical readings by George Monbiot and McDonough and Braungart. Monbiot’s writing was very pleasant to read in a rhetorical sense. His ethos, pathos, and logos were especially clear to read and understand. The Cradle to Cradle reading was extremely engaging. Throughout the whole reading the authors are constantly asking the reader questions, making them feel like part of a conversation.
Perhaps my favorite blog posting was the one we did on effective and ineffective arguments of rhetoric for an issue coming up in our next paper. Effective rhetoric is great, but ineffective rhetoric is just hilarious. This exercise was a nice eye opener. Our next paper was my least favorite. I just could not think of an issue that really interested me enough to write a whole essay on it. I did it anyway, but it was one of the worst things I have ever written.
Our final blog post on a reading was about Pollan. This was my favorite reading because it talked about animals. I love animals, but I also love eating meat. The way many factory farms treat livestock is just appalling, making me embarrassed to be called a human. Animals should be free range and treated with respect before we slaughter them for a meal. They deserve that at least.
Extra credit is always a pleasant surprise, which came in the form of a PBS Special about the “Green Economy”. Blogging about this was cool because it was all talking about how much our economy and cities are trying to be more “green” and the unique ways they are accomplishing that.
Our final essay and blog post was about local sustainability. I did mine on Casa Nueva. This was a great assignment because I was able to learn so much about the importance and benefits of buying food locally. I enjoy the beer selection at Casa, but after my interview, the food tasted even better. It’s nice to learn so much about a community I was not a part of before college, but I am a part of now.
Posting all these blog topics enabled us to make our group blogs. All of these group blogs should be very interesting to read, due to the topics and the fact that we all should be blog masters after taking this class. Being in a class based around one blog and then our individual blogs was a very good way to communicate and bring the class together. It was a nice way to teach a class.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Casa Nueva-fixed errors
Around twenty-four years ago, a collection of former restaurant workers decided to create a worker-owned cooperative. According to Casa’s website, “A cooperative is any business organization which is owned and controlled through its members.” These workers decided to dedicate themselves to “Strengthening the environmental, economic, and social well being of their community by promoting wholesome products, democratic participation and responsible business practices” (casanueava.com). The food and ingredients they buy are mostly locally grown, and those that are not are still grown on organic farms around the region. It seems clear that they are trying to respect their mission to the best of their ability.
I interviewed Michelle Wasserman, who is one of the Food Managers at Casa. She is one of people who are responsible for what and where the different foods and ingredients come from. She also helps decide what dishes and items are put on the menu. I asked her why buying food locally is a good thing. She said, “Because it keeps money in the county and community, and gives jobs to others locally.” Michelle also explained that by buying food locally, you know exactly where your food comes from, how it is being grown, and who is growing it. “You build great relationships with people in the community”, she said.
I then asked Michelle how Casa helps promote environmental sustainability. I found out from her and from researching their website that Casa does everything they can to recycle and compost all their uncooked organic waste and egg shells. She informed me that the city of Athens takes plastics 1 and 2, newspaper, office scrap paper, clear and brown glass, cardboard and paperboard. Green glass just recently started being accepted as well, but before that Casa would give all their green glass bottles to Sheri Wilson from Blue Moon Bottles who turns them into stylistic furniture. Nothing seems to go wasted or unused at Casa.
When I asked her how she would like the public to view Casa, she responded by saying, “Organic!” She wants the public to know that what they are eating from Casa is truly organic and grown on local, fresh farms. They don’t buy from huge corporations that claim to be organic. “Casa cares about the local economy and health of the community”, said Wasserman. Currently Casa Nueva buys from thirty-five producers around Ohio and surrounding states.
Finally I asked what the future plans for Casa Nueva are. It is a big goal of Michelle’s and the other Food Managers to bring on one new producer per year. This will keep things diverse and they will be able to continue building relationships with local farmers and growers. She would also like to be able to get more of their grains from right in Athens rather than have to go to Pennsylvania for them. She mentioned how Casa is starting to work with Brandon Jaeger and Michelle Adjaminan in getting more of their grains from a local source. Clearly, Casa Nueva is playing a great part in the sustainability of our environment and local community. They seem to have great goals and a very innovative business plan. I am excited to see what sort of things they can accomplish in the future.
Casa Nueva. 20 Feb. 2009..
Wasserman, Michelle. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 2009.
1. What was the reason for the start of Casa Nueva? What was trying to be accomplished? What were the goals?
2. What is the mission of Casa Nueva?
3. Who finances Casa?
4. How does Casa promote environmental sustainability? Who benefits from this?
5. Why is buying food locally a good thing?
6. How would you like the public to view Casa Nueva?
7. What are the future plans for Casa?
I interviewed Michelle Wasserman, who is one of the Food Managers at Casa. She is one of people who are responsible for what and where the different foods and ingredients come from. She also helps decide what dishes and items are put on the menu. I asked her why buying food locally is a good thing. She said, “Because it keeps money in the county and community, and gives jobs to others locally.” Michelle also explained that by buying food locally, you know exactly where your food comes from, how it is being grown, and who is growing it. “You build great relationships with people in the community”, she said.
I then asked Michelle how Casa helps promote environmental sustainability. I found out from her and from researching their website that Casa does everything they can to recycle and compost all their uncooked organic waste and egg shells. She informed me that the city of Athens takes plastics 1 and 2, newspaper, office scrap paper, clear and brown glass, cardboard and paperboard. Green glass just recently started being accepted as well, but before that Casa would give all their green glass bottles to Sheri Wilson from Blue Moon Bottles who turns them into stylistic furniture. Nothing seems to go wasted or unused at Casa.
When I asked her how she would like the public to view Casa, she responded by saying, “Organic!” She wants the public to know that what they are eating from Casa is truly organic and grown on local, fresh farms. They don’t buy from huge corporations that claim to be organic. “Casa cares about the local economy and health of the community”, said Wasserman. Currently Casa Nueva buys from thirty-five producers around Ohio and surrounding states.
Finally I asked what the future plans for Casa Nueva are. It is a big goal of Michelle’s and the other Food Managers to bring on one new producer per year. This will keep things diverse and they will be able to continue building relationships with local farmers and growers. She would also like to be able to get more of their grains from right in Athens rather than have to go to Pennsylvania for them. She mentioned how Casa is starting to work with Brandon Jaeger and Michelle Adjaminan in getting more of their grains from a local source. Clearly, Casa Nueva is playing a great part in the sustainability of our environment and local community. They seem to have great goals and a very innovative business plan. I am excited to see what sort of things they can accomplish in the future.
Casa Nueva. 20 Feb. 2009.
Wasserman, Michelle. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 2009.
1. What was the reason for the start of Casa Nueva? What was trying to be accomplished? What were the goals?
2. What is the mission of Casa Nueva?
3. Who finances Casa?
4. How does Casa promote environmental sustainability? Who benefits from this?
5. Why is buying food locally a good thing?
6. How would you like the public to view Casa Nueva?
7. What are the future plans for Casa?
Monday, March 2, 2009
group ideas
I'm not exactly sure what I would like to do, but I know I would like to do something involving animals and their safety or protection. Anyone, please let me know if you would like to help me expand on this somehow.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Casa Nueva
Around twenty-four years ago, a collection of former restaurant workers decided to create a worker-owned cooperative. According to Casa’s website, “A cooperative is any business organization which is owned and controlled through its members.” These workers decided to dedicate themselves to “Strengthening the environmental, economic, and social well being of there community by promoting wholesome products, democratic participation and responsible business practices” (casanueava.com). The food and ingredients they buy are mostly locally grown, and those that are not are still grown on organic farms around the region. It seems clear that they are trying to respect their mission to the best of their ability.
I interviewed Michelle Wasserman, who is one of the Food Managers at Casa. She is one of people who are responsible for what and where the different foods and ingredients come from. She also helps decide what dishes and items are put on the menu. I asked her why buying food locally is a good thing. She said, “Because it keeps money in the county and community, and gives jobs to others locally.” Michelle also explained that by buying food locally, you know exactly where your food comes from, how it is being grown, and who is growing it. “You build great relationships with people in the community”, she said.
I then asked Michelle how Casa helps promote environmental sustainability. I found out from her and from researching their website that Casa does everything they can to recycle and compost all their uncooked organic waste and egg shells. She informed me that the city of Athens takes plastics 1 and 2, newspaper, office scrap paper, clear and brown glass, cardboard and paperboard. Green glass just recently started being accepted as well, but before that Casa would give all their green glass bottles to Sheri Wilson from Blue Moon Bottles who turns them into stylistic furniture. Nothing seems to go wasted or unused at Casa.
When I asked her how she would like the public to view Casa, she responded by saying, “Organic!” She wants the public to know that what they are eating from Casa is truly organic and grown on local, fresh farms. They don’t buy from huge corporations that claim to be organic. “Casa cares about the local economy and health of the community”, said Wasserman. Currently Casa Nueva buys from thirty-five producers around Ohio and surrounding states.
Finally I asked what the future plans for Casa Nueva are. It is a big goal of Michelle’s and the other Food Managers to bring on one new producer per year. This well keep things diverse and they will be able to continue building relationships with local farmers and growers. She would also like to be able to get more of there grains from right in Athens rather then have to go to Pennsylvania for them. She mentioned how Casa is starting to work with Brandon Jaeger and Michelle Adjaminan in getting more of their grains from a local source. Clearly, Casa Nueva is playing a great part in the sustainability of our environment and local community. They seem to have great goals and a very innovative business plan. I am excited to see what sort of things they can accomplish in the future.
Casa Nueva. 20 Feb. 2009..
Wasserman, Michelle. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 2009.
1. What was the reason for the start of Casa Nueva? What was trying to be accomplished? What were the goals?
2. What is the mission of Casa Nueva?
3. Who finances Casa?
4. How does Casa promote environmental sustainability? Who benefits from this?
5. Why is buying food locally a good thing?
6. How would you like the public to view Casa Nueva?
7. What are the future plans for Casa?
I interviewed Michelle Wasserman, who is one of the Food Managers at Casa. She is one of people who are responsible for what and where the different foods and ingredients come from. She also helps decide what dishes and items are put on the menu. I asked her why buying food locally is a good thing. She said, “Because it keeps money in the county and community, and gives jobs to others locally.” Michelle also explained that by buying food locally, you know exactly where your food comes from, how it is being grown, and who is growing it. “You build great relationships with people in the community”, she said.
I then asked Michelle how Casa helps promote environmental sustainability. I found out from her and from researching their website that Casa does everything they can to recycle and compost all their uncooked organic waste and egg shells. She informed me that the city of Athens takes plastics 1 and 2, newspaper, office scrap paper, clear and brown glass, cardboard and paperboard. Green glass just recently started being accepted as well, but before that Casa would give all their green glass bottles to Sheri Wilson from Blue Moon Bottles who turns them into stylistic furniture. Nothing seems to go wasted or unused at Casa.
When I asked her how she would like the public to view Casa, she responded by saying, “Organic!” She wants the public to know that what they are eating from Casa is truly organic and grown on local, fresh farms. They don’t buy from huge corporations that claim to be organic. “Casa cares about the local economy and health of the community”, said Wasserman. Currently Casa Nueva buys from thirty-five producers around Ohio and surrounding states.
Finally I asked what the future plans for Casa Nueva are. It is a big goal of Michelle’s and the other Food Managers to bring on one new producer per year. This well keep things diverse and they will be able to continue building relationships with local farmers and growers. She would also like to be able to get more of there grains from right in Athens rather then have to go to Pennsylvania for them. She mentioned how Casa is starting to work with Brandon Jaeger and Michelle Adjaminan in getting more of their grains from a local source. Clearly, Casa Nueva is playing a great part in the sustainability of our environment and local community. They seem to have great goals and a very innovative business plan. I am excited to see what sort of things they can accomplish in the future.
Casa Nueva. 20 Feb. 2009.
Wasserman, Michelle. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 2009.
1. What was the reason for the start of Casa Nueva? What was trying to be accomplished? What were the goals?
2. What is the mission of Casa Nueva?
3. Who finances Casa?
4. How does Casa promote environmental sustainability? Who benefits from this?
5. Why is buying food locally a good thing?
6. How would you like the public to view Casa Nueva?
7. What are the future plans for Casa?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Green Economy
This show was about the new green evolution. Many businesses are starting to go green, and it seems to be a growing trend. Recycling is a $238 billion dollar business in the US and has more employees than the auto industry. Chicago is becoming one of the greenest cities in the US thanks to Mayor Dailey. The city has started trading carbon and other greenhouse emissions. Trading carbon tops $1 trillion dollars worldwide. About 5% of the US population uses 25% of the worlds fossil fuels. Many hybrid prototypes for cars have been coming out. India and China are starting to catch up to the US in carbon emissions. Prices of corn have doubled due to the high demand in the US. Many people in the world dont have conventional energy so some organizations are trying to bring them solar power. Amory Livitz is trying to reduce energy use by using solar power grids in homes and businesses. Venture capitalists around the world are trying to make the world healthier and greener. They are trying to make safer water treatment facilities through their funds. Also, demand for organic food has been rising in recent years.
I think its awesome that so many businesses are trying to go green. Ultimatley it will save us energy and money, which will hopefully help boost our economy a little bit. I hope the venture capitalists keep up the good work they are doing. Recently my mother has been buying more organic foods and milk. I appreciate this very much, because not only is it healthier, but it tastes better as well.
I think its awesome that so many businesses are trying to go green. Ultimatley it will save us energy and money, which will hopefully help boost our economy a little bit. I hope the venture capitalists keep up the good work they are doing. Recently my mother has been buying more organic foods and milk. I appreciate this very much, because not only is it healthier, but it tastes better as well.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pollan
I really enjoyed this chapter. Personally, I love meat with every ounce of my heart, but this chapter did make me think a little. It seems that Pollan really isnt telling us not to eat, rather he is suggesting that we respect the meat more that we do eat. I am appalled at the way many animals are treated before they are slaughtered to be food. I do believe they should be treated with respect before their death. Humans have hunted and eaten animals since the beginning of man. It is a very natural part of our heritage and lives, but I believe we could do it with a little more class and respect. Native Americans hunted and killed many animals, but they respected their prey and appreciated the animal. I think we could do something similar. Before eating meat we could take a little time to appreciate the life, whether how short or meaningless, that the animal lived. I will probably never stop eating meat, but I will stop unnappreciating what I do eat.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Death of Man-Overpopulation-Revised!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…6.5 billion! That is how many people call Earth their home. That number is projected to rise to 9 billion in 2050 (Connor). The human population has more than doubled in less than 50 years (Connor). This rapid growth is creating a problem for the environment and for our resources. This problem has been dubbed Overpopulation. According to Wikipedia; Overpopulation is a condition when an organism’s numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. It is determined using the ratio of population to available sustainable resources. Wikipedia says:
“If a given environment has a population of ten, but there is food or drinking water enough for only nine, then in a closed system where no trade is possible, that environment is overpopulated; if the population is 100 individuals but there is enough food, shelter, and water for 200 for the indefinite future, then it is not.”
This is a good example of what is happening in the world. With the rapid growth of population we are starting to see a steady decline in our most important resources including; water, food, land, energy, and fossil fuels. I am going to take a look at different causes, effects, and solutions in regards to the global problem of overpopulation.
Things causing overpopulation are sometimes good and sometimes bad, when speaking about them in other contexts. Decline in the death rate, rise in the birth rate, and improvements of public health are all positive things, but not when it comes to the issue of overpopulation. Due to advancements in medicine and improvements in public health care, doctors and scientists have found cures to previously fatal diseases. These new inventions in medicine have brought in many treatments for most of the life-threatening diseases, resulting in an increase in life expectancy for individuals. Inevitably, this leads to an increase in population. Fighting disease and preventing death is a very good thing, but not when we look into the overcrowding of earth.
Another effect of advancements in medicine is the increase in fertility rates of human beings. Certain medicines today in some nations can boost the reproductive rate in humans. This too, is a great advancement and a miracle for many couples, but is a negative cause to overpopulation.
Immigration has also caused a stir in the overpopulation category. Obviously if people from one country travel to another country to set up a residence, then that area is certain to endure the effects of overpopulation. If a nations emigration rates don’t match their immigration rates, then overpopulation is bound to happen (Oak).
Lack of education is probably one of the largest causes of overpopulation. People lacking in education fail to understand the dangers ahead of us if we keep overcrowding the planet. The lack of family planning is very common in illiterate parts of the world. Some countries just do not have the resources to dish out this kind of knowledge, and then you have some countries who are just plain ignorant to the whole idea.
Along with causes, come effects and consequences. One of the biggest concerns is the lack of fresh water. A water crisis like this will only get worse with the increasing population. Lawrence Smith, President of the Population Institute said, “If the water goes, the species goes.” Even though we are surrounded by water, only 3 percent of it is sustainable freshwater and the other 97 percent is saltwater (CNN.com). Desalination of saltwater can be used to create freshwater. This is a very energy-intensive process. There are a good number of nuclear powered desalination plants around the world, but the high costs of desalination make it unfeasible to transport large amounts of desalinated saltwater, especially in poor third world countries (Wikipedia.com).
According to the United Nations, “about 850 million people are malnourished or starving and 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water” (Wikipedia.com). Only a small percentage of the world is wealthy and those nations have the majority of the safe drinking water. The United Nations Development Program was quoted saying “The scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality, not in physical availability” (Black). Japan and Cambodia under go the same average amount of rainfall per year, which is about 160cm. An average Japanese person uses 400 liters a day, but the average Cambodian only gets one-tenth of it (Black). Better water seems to favor the more prosperous nations and over-look the more poverty stricken ones. Technology could be one of the reasons for this.
As the world population grows, so does their hunger. “Agriculture accounts for about 70% of water use around the world” says Richard Black, “and extra consumption for growing food is likely to reduce the amount available for those basic needs of drinking, cooking and washing.”
This overcrowding of Earth is taking a toll on our environment. Increased levels in air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, and noise pollution are slowly eroding away our healthy environment. The need for land is causing deforestation, which causes a loss of ecosystems, which is aiding in the cause of mass species extinction. Extinction rates are becoming as high as 140,000 species lost per year (Primm, 1995). Overpopulation can affect other life forms besides human beings. The time is way over due to start finding solutions to this problem. Governments and nations have to start acting on this immediately.
There are many suggested solutions to this problem, but some are just a little unrealistic. In the 1970’s the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi implemented a forced sterilization program (Wikipedia.com). Men with two or more children had to agree to sterilization. I don’t think something like this would work in today’s world. Other people propose that governments should stop funding on child-vaccination because children should have to survive naturally. This idea is interesting, yet mean and sinful. Only an insane government would agree to do something like that. These are solutions that I would personally not go for.
There are two ideas that I believe would help in the assistance of controlling overpopulation. One would be reforming tax laws in a way to promote couples to have no more than two children. They would still be able to have as many kids as they want, but the tax code would no longer subsidize more than two (grinningplanet.com). Finally, the best solution to overpopulation is more access to family planning services. If countries could make family planning education, condoms, and birth control easily affordable and available to their public then that could be a great start to the downfall of overpopulation. It all could start with a little education. Arnold Joseph Toynbee once said, “We have been God-like in our planned breeding of our domesticated plants and animals, but we have been rabbit-like in our unplanned breeding of ourselves” (grinningplanet.com). If this rabbit-like approach continues, then this overpopulation will surely be the death of mankind.
Works Cited
S.L. Pimm, G.J. Russell, J.L. Gittleman and T.M. Brooks, The Future of Biodiversity, Science 269: 347-350 (1995)
"Overpopulation." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Jan. 2009..
Hoevel, Ann. "Overpopulation could be people, planet problem." CNN.com. 29 Jan. 2009.
Connor, Steve. "Overpopulation 'is main threat to planet'" The Independent. 1 Feb. 2009.
Oak, Manali. "Causes of Overpopulation." Buzzle.com. 2 Feb. 2009..
"World Population Growth." Grinning Planet. 29 Jan. 2009.
.
Black, Richard. "Water- another global 'crisis'?" BBC News. 9 Feb. 2009..
“If a given environment has a population of ten, but there is food or drinking water enough for only nine, then in a closed system where no trade is possible, that environment is overpopulated; if the population is 100 individuals but there is enough food, shelter, and water for 200 for the indefinite future, then it is not.”
This is a good example of what is happening in the world. With the rapid growth of population we are starting to see a steady decline in our most important resources including; water, food, land, energy, and fossil fuels. I am going to take a look at different causes, effects, and solutions in regards to the global problem of overpopulation.
Things causing overpopulation are sometimes good and sometimes bad, when speaking about them in other contexts. Decline in the death rate, rise in the birth rate, and improvements of public health are all positive things, but not when it comes to the issue of overpopulation. Due to advancements in medicine and improvements in public health care, doctors and scientists have found cures to previously fatal diseases. These new inventions in medicine have brought in many treatments for most of the life-threatening diseases, resulting in an increase in life expectancy for individuals. Inevitably, this leads to an increase in population. Fighting disease and preventing death is a very good thing, but not when we look into the overcrowding of earth.
Another effect of advancements in medicine is the increase in fertility rates of human beings. Certain medicines today in some nations can boost the reproductive rate in humans. This too, is a great advancement and a miracle for many couples, but is a negative cause to overpopulation.
Immigration has also caused a stir in the overpopulation category. Obviously if people from one country travel to another country to set up a residence, then that area is certain to endure the effects of overpopulation. If a nations emigration rates don’t match their immigration rates, then overpopulation is bound to happen (Oak).
Lack of education is probably one of the largest causes of overpopulation. People lacking in education fail to understand the dangers ahead of us if we keep overcrowding the planet. The lack of family planning is very common in illiterate parts of the world. Some countries just do not have the resources to dish out this kind of knowledge, and then you have some countries who are just plain ignorant to the whole idea.
Along with causes, come effects and consequences. One of the biggest concerns is the lack of fresh water. A water crisis like this will only get worse with the increasing population. Lawrence Smith, President of the Population Institute said, “If the water goes, the species goes.” Even though we are surrounded by water, only 3 percent of it is sustainable freshwater and the other 97 percent is saltwater (CNN.com). Desalination of saltwater can be used to create freshwater. This is a very energy-intensive process. There are a good number of nuclear powered desalination plants around the world, but the high costs of desalination make it unfeasible to transport large amounts of desalinated saltwater, especially in poor third world countries (Wikipedia.com).
According to the United Nations, “about 850 million people are malnourished or starving and 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water” (Wikipedia.com). Only a small percentage of the world is wealthy and those nations have the majority of the safe drinking water. The United Nations Development Program was quoted saying “The scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality, not in physical availability” (Black). Japan and Cambodia under go the same average amount of rainfall per year, which is about 160cm. An average Japanese person uses 400 liters a day, but the average Cambodian only gets one-tenth of it (Black). Better water seems to favor the more prosperous nations and over-look the more poverty stricken ones. Technology could be one of the reasons for this.
As the world population grows, so does their hunger. “Agriculture accounts for about 70% of water use around the world” says Richard Black, “and extra consumption for growing food is likely to reduce the amount available for those basic needs of drinking, cooking and washing.”
This overcrowding of Earth is taking a toll on our environment. Increased levels in air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, and noise pollution are slowly eroding away our healthy environment. The need for land is causing deforestation, which causes a loss of ecosystems, which is aiding in the cause of mass species extinction. Extinction rates are becoming as high as 140,000 species lost per year (Primm, 1995). Overpopulation can affect other life forms besides human beings. The time is way over due to start finding solutions to this problem. Governments and nations have to start acting on this immediately.
There are many suggested solutions to this problem, but some are just a little unrealistic. In the 1970’s the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi implemented a forced sterilization program (Wikipedia.com). Men with two or more children had to agree to sterilization. I don’t think something like this would work in today’s world. Other people propose that governments should stop funding on child-vaccination because children should have to survive naturally. This idea is interesting, yet mean and sinful. Only an insane government would agree to do something like that. These are solutions that I would personally not go for.
There are two ideas that I believe would help in the assistance of controlling overpopulation. One would be reforming tax laws in a way to promote couples to have no more than two children. They would still be able to have as many kids as they want, but the tax code would no longer subsidize more than two (grinningplanet.com). Finally, the best solution to overpopulation is more access to family planning services. If countries could make family planning education, condoms, and birth control easily affordable and available to their public then that could be a great start to the downfall of overpopulation. It all could start with a little education. Arnold Joseph Toynbee once said, “We have been God-like in our planned breeding of our domesticated plants and animals, but we have been rabbit-like in our unplanned breeding of ourselves” (grinningplanet.com). If this rabbit-like approach continues, then this overpopulation will surely be the death of mankind.
Works Cited
S.L. Pimm, G.J. Russell, J.L. Gittleman and T.M. Brooks, The Future of Biodiversity, Science 269: 347-350 (1995)
"Overpopulation." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Jan. 2009.
Hoevel, Ann. "Overpopulation could be people, planet problem." CNN.com. 29 Jan. 2009.
Connor, Steve. "Overpopulation 'is main threat to planet'" The Independent. 1 Feb. 2009.
Oak, Manali. "Causes of Overpopulation." Buzzle.com. 2 Feb. 2009.
"World Population Growth." Grinning Planet. 29 Jan. 2009.
Black, Richard. "Water- another global 'crisis'?" BBC News. 9 Feb. 2009.
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