Space

I really enjoyed this presentation because I took a sustainability class in London last semester and we talked a lot about space and the layout of cities. We talked a lot about the difference between European cities, which are built up, and American cities, which are built out. Suburbs are appealing to people, especially families, because it is away from the noisy city life, there is more room for a backyard, the schools are generally better, and it is safer for their children. On the downside, people have to travel further and use more resources to get to where they need to go, and public transportation is less adequate and makes it harder for people without their own car to get around. In many European cities however, not many people own cars because it is not necessary because of the closer proximity and ease of public transportation. I was really surprised by the New Deal they talked about because I had never heard of it before. I think it is a really great idea and will help people get across the country in a much more efficient manner.

I really enjoyed learning more about green spaces as well. That was something else we discussed in our sustainability class, so I knew what they were, but I never knew all of the benefits they provided. Green spaces such as public parks, and community gardens help absorb some of the carbon in the air, are a habitat for wildlife, reduce noise pollution and runoff, and help to counteract the blacktop effect, and cool cities. I was also surprised to learn that there were health benefits of green spaces as well.

Organic Food

I found the presentation on organic foods to be very informative. I thought all organic foods were better for us, but it turns out that as of now, there is no solid evidence to prove that they are more nutritious than inorganic foods. I also learned that while many organic food producers use sustainable energy, sometimes organic foods can be less sustainable than inorganic foods when they are flown in from other countries, when there is much less expensive, locally grown inorganic food options available. Food labeling can also be misleading and confusing in stores. Through “greenwashing” with labels such as authentic or natural, people may think that the food they are buying is organic, when in fact it is not. Organic and healthy foods are so popular right now, that people are willing to pay more for them, so if something says it is natural, people may believe it is organic. Because organic certification is such a long and confusing process, it makes it difficult for farmers to grow organic food, and still maintain their livelihood. It takes about five years for farmers to turn a profit, and it also takes up more land to grow organic food, so they have a lower yield. Because organic foods cost more to produce, they are much more expensive in the store as well. This makes it more difficult for middle and lower class people to buy organic foods that use less pesticides, aren’t genetically modified, and are less processed. They cannot afford the same quality of foods that may be healthier for them than the wealthier population.

While I knew many of the advantages and upsides of organic foods before hearing this presentation, I was unaware of the downsides, so I found it very informative, and think that in the future it will be interesting to see what kinds of changes will be made in the food market.

Grizzly Man

Watching Grizzly man, I found Timothy Treadwell’s personality very interesting. He was a man who lived in the Alaskan wilderness for 13 summers by himself alongside the Grizzly bears, the most dangerous animal in Alaska. You would think that somebody doing this would be the stereotypical burly, masculine man with weapons to protect himself. Timothy, though he described himself as a warrior, did not fit that persona. He was a somewhat scrawny man who carried no weapons with him and wanted to protect the bears from others because he viewed them as his friends. He treated the bears with love and kindness, and took a more eco-feminist approach to saving them. He did not want to use violence (though he sometimes exploded into violent rages), and tried to save the bears by showing everyone else the bears’ soft, loving, and peaceful personalities.

In doing so however, Timothy did not have a very realistic view of nature. He treated the bears like they were his friends and family, and ignored the fact that they are also wild animals who will kill if they feel threatened in any way. He also seemed to think he was invincible, and no harm would come to him even though he often said that if anyone else were doing this they would die. While he loved the bears, I feel he did not have a realistic grasp on how nature works. He talked about nature like everything was happy and perfect, and it was only humans who were doing harm. However, whenever anything bad happened that occurred completely naturally, and would have occurred whether humans had an influence or not, he broke down and could not understand why such a horrible thing would happen in his perfect, untouched, natural world. Grizzly bears are one of many predator species who will do whatever it takes to survive, which includes eating their own young.

While I think he was doing what he thought was right to protect the bears, it may have done more harm than good. He was always getting close to the bears, and after living with them for 13 summers, some of them seemed to be used to his presence, especially the foxes. Assimilating bears to humans is dangerous for both humans and bears, and being killed by a bear created an even greater negative stigma for bears, all of which might have done more harm in the end. Even though Timothy was trying to help the bears, I think he had a somewhat delusional view of the world, and went about trying to help the bears in the wrong way. He could have still educated others about bears without putting himself, Amy, and the bears in danger.