Review: The Future of Food

Summary of the reviewed piece:

The video "The Future of Food" was a very informational and interesting piece. The film when into detail about how our produce was once very diverse in the different varieties of select veggies like potatoes and corn. Now we only have a hand full of different kinds of those same veggies.  It then went into the history of changes that farming went through by the different pesticides and fertilizers they used. The film went into great detail on how the farmers had to keep increasing the usage of pesticides they used on the crops which then as increased the health risks from the pesticides used. 

All this information built up to what the whole film is about "The Gene Revolution".  The company that started it all was Monsanto and their patenting of different seeds. The film stated that Monsanto owns 11,000 patents on their roundup ready seeds. Monsanto took their patented seed seriously, so serious they went as far as bring lawsuits against farmers who apparently had "their" patented seed in the crops. The most famous lawsuit that they talked about in the film was the Percy Schmeiser case, it was big because Percy fought back against Monsanto and the lawsuit against them. The film also discussed how they got the different genes into the plants. They touched on the 3 most common ways that are used: bacteria, use of electricity, and the gene gun. 

The film also discussed how Monsanto had employees that also used to work the EPA, which definitely helped Monsanto keep doing what they are doing without having any problems. The film also talked about how Monsanto wants to bring their patenting out side the country into parts like Mexico. It also went into detail about how the cost of growing crops out is much higher than what the farmers get back from growing them.

This film was a good eye opener for me, it made me look more into buying locally grown foods from the farmers around here. Helping the little man out instead of the huge corporation that really do not care about us!! Growing up in a small town and around a lot farms, it really touched home for me and it makes me sad to think of these hard working people having to go through all this hardship for all the work they really do for us!

List of new terms with definitions:

Green Revolution-usually refers to the transformation of agriculture that began in 1945.

Roundup ready- is the brand name of a systemic, broad-spectrum herbicide produced by the U.S. company Monsanto and contains the active ingredient glyphosate.

Promoter gene- is a region of DNA that facilitates the transcription of a particular gene.

Antibiotic marker gene (reporter gene)-is a gene that researchers attach to another gene of interest in cell culture, animals or plants.

Organic food-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.

Genetic modified (GM)-foods that have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering.

Landrace-refers to domesticated animal or plants adapted to the natural and cultural environment in which they live (or originated) and, in some cases, work.

Links to additional resources that readers can go to for more information:

Check this site out to learn more on Monsanto.

Check this site out to learn more about the gene revolution.

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

Overview of the Past Two Weeks:

In the past two weeks we watched documentaries called "Diet for a New America" and "Future of Food." These two documentaries were both big eye openers for me and the rest of the class as well. Diet for a New America was about the foods that we eat and how it effects our bodies as well as the environment. This really opened my eyes to what I am really eating and its effects on the environment. Future of Food was about the Genetically Modified and its effect on the farmers and the whole nation. We also did an Eye Opener: CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest). In this eye opener we chose a assessment that calculated the food we ate and its effect on the environment. We also did an Eye Opener on an different reading assignments that was assigned to us.

What I have learned about myself:

When I watched the documentary "Diet for a New America" I was shocked to learn about they really effects on the food that us as Americans eat. It really made me look at what I eat everyday. I really don't eat that much meat in my diet but the documentary made me realize that we are all about meat in our meals. I also realized that I love my dairy way too much to give it up. But I am slowly watching my intake on it and making small changes on my diet.

What I have learned about the Environment:

I have learned that what I eat impacts the environment in ways that I never thought of before. For example I did not really think that eating meat and any animal product had that much impact on the environment. There is always something I can do to improve on my impact on the environment and I am little by little making those changes.

What I have learned about blogging:

I have learned that it takes some work to keep up with my blogging but I am getting better at it. I do like the fact that we are not using so much paper which is helping out the environment!! I think we all are doing a good job with our blogging!!

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Eye opener Summary of Reading #33: GM and Ford Pressed to Cut Greenhouse Gases

Summary:
"Facing losses in their profits and reputations, U.S. automakers are being pressured by shareholders to cut their vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. has failed to sign on to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a move which shareholders fear could become a future liability in the global automotive market (Lobe, 2002)." That statement there pretty much sums up what the whole article is all about. The article talks about how General Motors and Ford have still not signed on like the other motor companies have. It goes into saying that greenhouse gas emissions from trucks, van, and cars currently make up about 20 percent of total U.S. emissions, which contributes 25 percent of annual emissions worldwide. Now those are huge numbers we are talking about and why would they not do anything about it?!? The article kinda blames President George W. Bush for refusing to sign on because substantial reductions in greenhouse would harm the U.S. economy. Well take a good look at our economy it really is not that good right now...so was this the right decisions or was it the wrong decision? The article goes further into talking about that by not signing on the car makers are falling further and further behind competitors that have decided to make a change like the Japanese manufactures that have developed new energy efficient automobile technology. The article also went on saying that is was not the first time that Ford and GM faced this problem either. What does that tell you about the two companies...not looking so good anymore in my eyes at least!

What I have learned:
After reading this article I feel really ashamed to be a owner of a Ford. The two companies are well aware of the problem but yet they still do nothing about it and refuse it as well! They even tried to debunk the claims that greenhouse emissions were contributing to global warming! What a disappoint they really are to me and to the rest of the U.S.! Instead of fighting against they should have been the bold ones that first used the new energy efficient technology, instead they are stuck in their old ways which basically have left them in the dust! All I have to say after reading this is that my next will NOT be a Ford or a GM because of this!

A question for you:

Which car is really better for the environment now Ford or GM?

Other sites on this topic:
Here is a good site to go and visit and see what changes the New President is doing, which happens to be a 180 from President George W. Bush: 

Obama set stage for national standard to cut auto greenhouse gas emissions

Here is some more good sites to also go and visit to see what Ford is doing now which seem to be in the right direction now:

 
This is news: Good PR for Ford

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility



"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Eye Opener: CSPI

For the activity I choose to do the Eating Green Calculator. In this activity I had to put in how many servings of pork, beef, chicken, eggs, milk and cheese I eat in a week. After putting the servings that I eat in week, the site gave you the results of the environmental burden of animal products you eat in a year. My results were shocking...I had no idea the impact I was making that big of an impact on the environment. I found it really crazy because I really don't eat that much meat in my diet but I still had bad results! I don't know if I could go vegan because I need that dairy in my diet to grow strong bones!!! This was a good eye opener but I still feel that everyone needs a little bit of protein in their diet for health reasons...just my opinion.


I will try and eat fewer meat products and dairy products (even though I am pretty much in love with cheese and eat it with everything). I am for sure always trying to increase my fruit and veggies servings. I have already did the good thing with only buying whole grains products.


"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Review of Reading 15: Feeding the World

After reading Feeding the World I was shocked to find out that the Earth's population surpassed 6 billion people in 1999!! So that could even be more now! Just think of how many mouths that is to feed in a year with 3 meals a day...that got my head spinning. Which brought up a good point with there not being enough space for food supply. Because you have to factor in the space needed for all the people to live and space for stores to buy the food and make it and so and so...you get the picture, not enough room for everything to fit. The reading covers: Society's Four Transitional Stages, Evidence for Negative Population Growth, Future Food Supply/Demand Balance, Protecting the Environment, and The Challenges Ahead.

Society's Four Transitional Stages:

This section discusses the four transitions of societies based on demographics, economics, agricultural productivity, and technological advancements. The first stage is the traditional society, which has low population density and low economic and population growth. The second stage is the developing stage, this is where agricultural production and plat and animal domestication are an outcome of a society's technological advancements. The third stage is a developed society, which is where the economic surplus and increases in capital and per capita income begin as a outcome of increases in agricultural production and productivity. The fourth stage is the mature society, which is the prominent technological change beyond just agriculture. Each stage talked about how society is moving up toward higher food production and technological output, lower death rates, and investments in education and science.

Evidence for Negative Population Growth:

This section discusses the stats that deals with various population projections around that world. The United Nations' medium population projection of 2.1 children after 2040 is widely used as a demographic forecast, but it unrealistically assumes that this rate will be the same in both developed and developing countries (McKinney, 56). I thought that it was already at that average these days to have 2 children.

Future Food Supply/Demand Balance:

This section discusses the future demand for food will pass our food supply. It is kind of hard to think of happening since we have all these food places around us. Right off hand I can think of 10 places to go and eat and all in like walking distance from my own house and that is not including grocery stores! Being an American we are really lucky that we have all these advantages to get our food now. What would we do with out our McDonald's...and other fast food places??

Protecting the Environment:

This section discusses the benfits of being more green and what to do to take care of our world. It really went into talking about on how the more people there are the more land we need to clear which means less natural habitats. Which all makes perfect sense but what are we as Americans doing to help with this problem?

The Challenges Ahead:

This section just recaps the whole reading stating that if we want our resources to still be there we need to do something about our population control and how we use/dispose of our products. It is really sad that we are this technological advance country and we still don't use our resources wisely.

My Views:

I think that us as Americans have relied on other countries and other people too much. We need to start looking at what we have here in the US and focus a little bit more on the problems that are happening here. We put so much of our resources into out of country things we lose site of what we have here. If we can figure out on how to help our selves we can then go about helping others as well.

Terms:

Demographics= selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research

Agricultural Productivity= is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs

Economics= is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

Developed Countries= is used to  describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria

Developing Countries= is a country that has low standards of democratic governments, industrialization, social programs, and human rights guarantees for its citizens

Population Growth= is the change in population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals in a population using "per unit time" for measurement

Technical Advancements= is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment

Additional Resource:

After reading the article I went to where this was originally published to see if they had anything more say about the topic and I found an article that caught my eye and thought that you should maybe check it out... The Futurist

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Share and Voice: Eco-Friendly Wedding Rings

This was just unreal when I found this site...who would have thought of buying an Eco-Friendly wedding ring?!? Not me, but I thought it was pretty cool when I found this. They reuse old gold and make it into the new trendy rings. Now that is pretty awesome if you ask me!! So when that time comes do the Eco-Friendly thing and buy one or at the very least check them out...you would be surprised. 

Here is a link to learn more about it: Wedding Rings

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Share and Voice: Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

Here is another cool find that I notice at the store and I just had to share with everyone! I found these great cleaning products as pictured up above and decided to give them a try and do just as good if not better than the other cleaning products. It has less chemicals in them so they are better for the environment! I challenge everyone to at least try one and see what you think of them!!

If you want to know some more here is a link: Cleaning Products

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Share and Voice: Going Green with Hand bags

So here is another "Going Green" find by yours truly! I was just surfing the net and ran across these AWESOME bags and I just had to do a post on it cause it really caught my eye!! 

You can learn more about it at this site: Green Hand Bags

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Share and Voice: Eco-Smart Heater

I just wanted to share some more awesome "Going Green" things with everyone! Since we all live in the Sub-Arctic part of Minnesota called Duluth and we all need heat, which sometime it is hard to get with the old houses. I went out and found this Eco-Smart heater fan for the winter. It works really nice and plus as a bonus it has a timer on it too, so when you go to sleep you will not have to get up and turn it off in the middle of the night! I found it at  Menards and I am pretty sure you can find it at Target as well.

Here's a link for you to check it out if you want to know more: Eco-Smart Heater

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Share and Voice: Going Green with Binders

I found these awesome EcoChoice binders at the book store and thought that I would share with the class! They are pretty much the same price as the other ones, but they are made from recycled materials. Everyone should go and check it out!

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Reflection of Week 3 & 4

Week 3:

During this week our class read "The Challenges We Face." This chapter talked about all the shortages we are currently facing with our natural resources, which was kind of shocking for me in a way.  We also read "Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film." This article talked about how even documentaries on the "natural" environments are manipulated so that it will be more appealing to the views' eyes. It really made me think of how much media plays a role in Americans' lives. Our class also started to watch "An Inconvenient Truth" by Al Gore.

Week 4:

During this week our class continued to watch "An Inconvenient Truth" by Al Gore. In this famous movie Al Gore broke down everything there is to know about global warming and its effects. He made it really clear of what could happen if nothing is done to stop global warming. He supported everything with scientific data which made him see more creditable and believable.

Yourself:

In the past two weeks I have learned that I might need little help with remembering with what is due and well thats ok with me. Thats why Abbey and I started a blogging party on Tues. to help each other and to remind each other on what is due and give help when needed. I have also learned that I need to work on being more eco-friendly by buying more local foods and fresh food also well. I have also learned that I have some pretty awesome classmates and friends that are always there to give a helping hand when needed. So Thank you everyone for helping a fellow classmate and friend when I really needed it!

Environment:

In the past two weeks I have learned so much more about the environment from watching the video "An Inconvenient Truth."  I would recommend everyone to watch this video because it really goes into depth about global warming and the affects of it too. It was an eye opener for me to see the true effects of global warming.

Blogging:

I am now seeing some cool things that I can do with my blogging page... and I am definitely going to add some of them at the next blogging party!! I really can't wait because blogging has now become the "new facebook" in my life!

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Ecological Footprint

Part 1:

Your ecological footprint is a measure of human demand with planet Earth's ecosystems, quoted by Wikipedia. What it does is compare the human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate. In doing this comparison you will get the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and  render harmless the corresponding waste. When you take this assessment you are able to see how many planet Earths it would take to support your lifestyle.

Part 2:

I took the ecological footprint quiz and my test showed that if everyone lived the way that I live we would need 3.4 earths! I was really shocked to get those results because I truly thought that I was better than that! I feel that since I live in an old house I really can not help some of the problems that contribute to my results being so uneco-friendly. 

In my house we have the windows and doors sealed, the heat is also set at 65 degrees but our heating bill is always so high no matter what we do! I do feel that my house does need to work on turning off lights when not in the room. I think we could also do more unplugging electronics when they are not in use too. We also do pretty good on recycling. I myself line dry my clothes so that saves on some energy. I walk to school everyday and only drive when I need to go to the store or work (because my car is required for my job), but when I do go out for my drives I almost always try to see if anyone else needs to go too! I am also really proud to say that all my furniture is second hand, who needs something new when you can get it for half the price (or free) as something new!

I think one thing I should really work on is buying locally grown foods. Also food that does not require so much packaging. I could also work on buying products that are not so harmful as well.

"It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit

Blogging Party!!

Hey people in my web group and all others that read this! Pass this along, Abbey and myself were thinking of setting a blog party time at the couches in the SPHC. Tuesday at 11am in between classes! We were thinking that all people who want to or need help blogging could meet and help each other out! Just a suggestion! We also thought to make this more fun we could bring a small snack to pass! If no one else shows up thats totally fine but we'll be there!:) This just when and if you can make it not a commitment thing! Suggestions welcome!:)

Bring your computer
and we'll have a blogging good time!
Abbey and Ingrid

It's not easy to be Green."-Kermit