Author: levensoa

Reverb is a non-profit environmental organization that educates and engages musicians and their fans to promote environmental sustainability. It was founded by  Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner and his wife Lauren Sullivan.

http://www.reverb.org/rvb.html

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/bike-blog/2014/mar/04/cycling-cities-search-bike-friendly-metropolis

In Copenhagen, Denmark bicycles are the norm and cars are in the minority,  5.2 bicycles for every car. Bikes are actually often the fastest way to get around.  Increased biking usage could not only reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, but also lower people’s risk of developing a number of diseases. This article examines the bike friendliness of several cities around the world and also shows the dangers involved in cycling.

GMOs or genetically modified organisms are a hot topic between the U.S. and the EU. One explanation for the difference in policies toward GMOs in the EU and the U.S. is consumer experience. In the U.S. consumers hold the FDA in high regard and trust their decisions on GMOs while in the EU consumer are more hostile towards GMOs. Many European companies and even Prince Charles made public statements against the use of GMOs which alter public perception. Another explanation is that buffering zones between GMOs and normal crops would be more costly in the densely packed landscape of Europe. In addition, both producers in the EU and in the U.S. now have incentives to maintain their positions on GMOs and lobby their governments. EU farmers would be harmed by eliminating the ban while U.S. farmers would gain. The EU is using the precautionary principle as their defense for their stance. The concept is that the side effects of using GMOs are still unknown so they could have negative health effects on consumers.

This article says there may be health/environmental risks to GMOs

http://rt.com/usa/usda-gmo-risk-report-537/

While this one explains the difference stances the EU and US have on GMOs as a result of culture and trade policy.

http://www.cfr.org/agricultural-policy/regulation-gmos-europe-united-states-case-study-contemporary-european-regulatory-politics/p8688

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/us/workers-at-nuclear-waste-site-in-new-mexico-inhaled-radioactive-materials.html?ref=earth&_r=0

13 workers at a nuclear burial site were exposed to an breathed in radioactive material. However it is too soon to see how much health risk this exposure will cause. It shows how every stage of nuclear energy production, even the one we don’t often think about, pose health risks.

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/campaigns-moral-sustainability-effective-economic?view=classic

Going along with the our readings and the papers we are writing, this article actually shows that appealing to people’s sense of morality rather than their wallet motivated more action.

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/02/18/why-youve-never-measured-your-carbon-footprint

Multiple carbon footprint calculators exist but the results differ greatly. However, new calculators more similar to the Nike FuelBand might change that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/us/epa-staff-struggling-to-create-rule-limiting-carbon-emissions.html

I mentioned cap and trade in class so here is bit more info on it.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/05/271997854/california-is-so-dry-some-diners-wont-get-water-unless-they-ask

The drought in California shows that resources such as water that we often take for granted as infinite, can run out.

Although some of the details of the video may be biased or even inaccurate, I do believe the core message is a good one. The concept that production and consumption is a linear process is very damaging to our planet. I think many of the problems she mentions arise not from people being evil but from our system being flawed. The system I am talking about and that I believe the video should have mentioned is the market system . The reason forests are cut down, factories create pollution, products are made to break quickly, advertisements tell us to buy more, and trash is burned is because those methods create the most profits. We live in a world run by capitalism and markets. The issue is that this system maximizes profits but not the overall well being of the planet. As the video mentioned, all the costs to produce a radio are not reflected in the price. If the costs to planet were included in the price then they would be much more expensive and therefore less people would buy them.

Despite your opinions on the video, I think it is good because it raises some important questions and forces you to rethink things that many of just assume to be natural.

A cool video that really lets you see how quickly earth’s ice is melting away.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2014/01/31/268356264/a-hunk-of-planet-dissolves-before-our-eyes