Waste Production

Waste is considered a material, a substance, or a byproduct that has been eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process.

Everything living organism produces waste in some form or another. Humans ingest food and nutrition that, once used up, our bodies produce waste through urine or fecal matter. Animals undergo the same process to rid waste from their own bodies as well. However, waste is not only produced internally. Humans are the number one species of living organism that create and produce the most external waste from not properly disposing of trash, not recycling our resources, and even discarding every-day items. 

In one day I managed to go through a relatively large amount of materials and resource such as:

3-4 Water Bottles

1-2 Soda Bottles

20 ~ Napkins

1 Sheet of Aluminium

5 ~ Sheets of Paper

2 Bags of Chips

2-3 Mini Candy Bars

On a daily basis, I consume lots of liquid ranging from juice to soda to water. I also use cooking materials such as Aluminium to prepare meals. Although I use washable plates, bowls, and utensils, I still use napkins to wipe my hands and to clean up. I also consume snacks throughout the day ranging from bags of chips to candy bars here and there. For class, I have a large FIVE STAR Notebook that I use for my notes so I conserve paper in a way, however I still use disposable paper on the side to write down notes and reminders. 

Based on the number of items that I use in one day, I can estimate the potential amount of waste that I generate in a years time. 

1,460 Water Bottles

730 Soda Bottles

7,300 Napkins

365 Sheets of Aluminium

1,825 Sheets of Paper

730 Bags of Chips 

1,095 Mini Candy Bars Wrapper

Using almost 1,500 water bottles and over 7,000 napkins sound like an extraordinary amount for a single individual. However, there are simple methods to resolve and reduce the amount of waste that I produce. I could buy reusable water bottles with filters and that could cut down on the number of plastic bottles that I use. I can also drink less soda. To reduce napkins, I could have a few rags lying around and use those to clean and etc. With a few simple changes to my daily habits, I would significantly reduce the amount of waste that I produce in a year, just starting day by day.

Life Cycle Analysis Fact Sheet - Toothbrush

Alfred Lee

Dr. Rood
ENV 250 : Principles of Sustainability
Life Cycle Analysis Fact Sheet

Life Cycle Analysis of a Toothbrush

Order of Life Cycle:
1. Production of Plastic Pellets

2. Production of Rubber Pellets

3. Production of Nylon Bristles

4. Making of the Toothbrush

5. Consumer Use

6. Recycle Process

7. End of Cycle

·         Toothbrushes are made from three main materials: Plastic, Rubber, and Nylon Bristles.

·         The first toothbrush dates back to the Yang Dynasty, where the Chinese would use Hog Bristle and animal bones to make a toothbrush.

·         Different color of plastic and rubber can create different color toothbrushes.

·         A Toothbrush manufacturing factory can make tens of thousands of toothbrushes in a single day.

The Value of Money

Everyone know that the world runs on a term called "Money". However, what is this "money" that people speak of? And how/why did it become such a powerful object that can run the world?

Money is, according to Merriam-Webster, something (such as coins or bills) used as a way to pay for good and services and to pay people for their work. Although this is the actual definition of what money is, I believe that there is more to the word Money than its definition. 

Since the end of bartering, Money served as the medium of exchange for all goods and services. As governments from all around the world created their own money (currencies) they assign values to this currencies and call it money. The value that society has placed on these currencies is what makes the currencies have meaning. It does not matter if the currency is just a piece of paper with ink on it, as long as everyone believe that that paper is worth a certain value, then it becomes more than just a piece of paper with ink on it. 

In the Zeitgeist Film, many people discussed the value of money to be depended on the supply and demand of the money. As the supply of money is increased, the value of money is decreased. This can be seen in real life as inflation to the currency. Inflation causes the value of the currency to decrease because the supply of it is much too high without any measure to back up the increase in value. The ones that control the supply and demand of money is usually the nation's Federal Bank. For this group of people to have the power to control the value of money is unthinkable...however in reality, it is this group of people that actually control the value of money. The Federal Bank can create money and destroy money whenever they feel the need to do so. This is the value of money, those that are in power to control how much worth a piece of paper with ink on it. 

                      

Hawaii - The Aloha State

Roughly 1,500 years ago, Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands first set foot on Hawaii Island. With only the stars to guide them, they miraculously sailed over 2000 miles in canoes to migrate to the Island of Hawaii. 

500 years later, settlers from Tahiti arrived, bringing their beliefs in gods and demi-gods and instituting a strict social hierarchy based on a Kapu (taboo) system. Hawaiian culture flourished over the centuries, giving rise to the art of the hula and the sport of surfing, but land division conflicts between ruling chieftains were common. 

In 1791, North Kohala born Kamehameha united the warring factions of Hawaii Island and went on to unify all of the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom in 1810. In 1819, less than a year after King Kamehameha's death, his son, Liholiho, abolished the ancient Kapu system.

In 1820, the first Protestant missionaries arrived on Hawaii Island filling the void left after the end of the Kapu system. Hawaii became a port for seamen, traders and whalers. The whaling industry boom flourished in Lahaina Harbor in Maui. Throughout these years of growth, western disease took a heavy toll on the Native Hawaiian population.

Western influence continued to grow and in 1893, American Colonists who controlled much of Hawaii's economy overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom in a peaceful, yet still controversial coup. In 1898, Hawaii became a territory of the United States.

The Silent Carson

If you were to ask an ordinary person to name a female who has made significant contributions to the environmental movement, it would be rather difficult not because there are not are a few number of female environmentalist but because they are hardly ever talked about for their accomplishments. One person that comes to mind is Rachel Carson who is credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist. Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist with the U.S Bureau of Fisheries where she studied the ocean around us. Carson wrote a sea trilogy that explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths. After writing books about marine life, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. 

With years of research, Carson published Silent Spring in 1962 which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Silent Spring spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy which led to a nationwide bad on DDT and other pesticides that were very harmful to the Earth, animals, and humans. The book also inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The President at the time, President Jimmy Carter awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rachel Carson for her contributions to a better and sustainable environment. 

One World, One Dream

One for all, and all for one is an old saying that truly represents the ideology of Marxism/Communism. Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. This type of ideology, I believe can support a sustainable future if and only if it is truly communistic society. 

Back when I was still in the third grade, I'd experience a form of communism without really knowing it. My teacher at the time assigned the class with two assignments where she divided the class into two groups in which each student would have to contribute equally to successfully complete the two tasks. 

There were some students that easily finished their portion of the work while there were a few students that struggled. This at first caused the class to become frustrated and uncooperative. One group, the students quickly finished while the other group did not. The students were bad mouthing each other and that caused the slower group to become more discouraged. At this point, the teacher stepped in and addressed the class, saying:

"In this world, there is always going to be someone who is really good at one thing and maybe not as good at another thing, but that should not prevent you from continue to try to get better at it. And if you are good at one thing, you should not bash others who are not as good as you but rather help them to get better at it."

After hearing what the teacher said, the two groups then began to work together and help each other finish their assignments as a collective whole.

The lesson I learned from this exercise that I experienced many years back still carries on with me to this day, where I believe that if everyone were to work together in the common interest of the whole, then we would be able to reduce if not eliminate the conflicts between people. 

If people worked for their own personal interest, then there would only be a handful that will be good at something and rise to the top whereas the others who are not as skilled will not be able to succeed as quick or at all. If the ones that are skilled do not help those that are less skilled, then there will be a gap between the two, causing division and conflicts. This is why I believe that a truly communistic society, where everyone works towards the same interests of the collective whole, can better sustain a future.

Hong Kong and its Complex Water System

It all started back when I took "History of the East: The Study of Asia's History" in the 8th grade where I first developed interest in learning about Asian countries. Out of all of the roughly 48 Asian nations, the one country that interests me the most is the largest in the world, China. China is a very unique country in that it has the worlds's largest population, 1.3 billion, over 200 cities, and is the world's largest exporter. Of the 200 or so cities, Hong Kong is one of my favorite. 

Of the little information that I retained from my 8th grade History class, I vaguely remember that Hong Kong is one of the 200 Chinese cities that really caught my eye. In the past 7 years from 8th grade to Junior in college, there is still little that I know about Hong Kong. 

One day, I would like to travel to Hong Kong and learn more about the emerging city. In the last two decades, Hong Kong has come a long way from a developing city into a well-developed city. Hong Kong is one of China’s fastest growing cities and, because it is located next to the ocean, they have developed complicated yet intricate water transportation systems. I would like to explore this water transportation system that involves all kinds of water transportation ranging from cargo ships, cruises, fishing boats, and tourist ships. 

One major environmental issue that Hong Kong faces is the large amount of pollution that has been polluting the air and water that surrounds the city. Because of the major development that has taken place in the past two decades, the amount of pollutants have really affected the environment. I would like to learn about how this pollution can be dramatically reduced while not affecting the economic growth of this wonderful city. 

I would travel to Hong Kong and observe the factories that are within or surrounding the city and see how they operate. Next I would take a tour of the water transportation system and see how it is affecting the bodies of water that surrounds the city. I would travel from ships to ships in the line path displayed below so that I can get a clear understanding of how the water transportation system works coming in and out of the Hong Kong Harbor. 

Hopefully, after this trip to Hong Kong to study the complex water transportation system, I will be able to have a better understanding of the city and the environmental issues that they face.