Enviro-Ethics
Bailey Rogers
Impact of simple acts on the Environment
Light- The effects of light pollution on plants and animals in the environment are numerous and are becoming more known over time. The most common action is that light pollution alters and interferes with the timing of necessary biological activities. Nocturnal species that begin their daily activities at sundown, is when they have the time to find food, shelter, or mates and reproduce. Our artificial lights at night seriously constrain their lives, exposing them to predators and reducing the time they have to find food, shelter, or mates and reproduce.
Humans Impact- Burning of fossil fuels and toxic gases produced in factories causes’ pollution. Air pollution infects the environment and threatens the health of all who inhabit the earth. Effluence from fertilizers, runoff, industries, and oils spills all damage fragile ecosystems. Using insecticides, chemical fertilizers, and herbicides to increase production actually pollutes the air, soil and water with toxic chemicals. There is a strong likelihood that the plastic bags you bring home end will end up in the ocean, or worse.
How living things impact the environment
Plants- Plant growth can have a considerable effect on the climate. There are several ways in which plants can alter the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. One of the ways is through the process of photosynthesis, the plants use energy from the sun to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then use it to create the carbohydrates they need to grow. Plants also cool the landscape directly through the process that is known as transpiration. When our atmosphere heats up, plants will often release excess water into the air from their leaves. By releasing evaporated water, plants cool themselves and the surrounding environment, “It’s like sweating.” Says Buermann.
Animals- Wildlife has a considerable and highly varied impact on the environment. All animals produce Greenhouse gases. Animals raised for food in the U.S. produce many times more excrement than does the entire human population of the country. Runoff from factory farms and livestock grazing is one of the leading causes of pollution in our rivers and lakes. Locusts are highly migratory and can quickly strip whole fields of vegetation. Cattle farming is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gases. Common Carp are most dangerous when introduced into an alien habitat and become an invasive species.
Humans- Using chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides to increase production actually pollutes the air, soil and water with toxic chemicals. Fertilizer run-offs cause toxic algal blooms that kill aquatic animals. The greater distance food items have to travel to reach the consumer, the greater that transportation's impact is on the environment. An increase in population makes excessive demands on natural resources, and increases the demand on agriculture and livestock. There are many negative impacts associated with population explosion.
Steps you have taken that have helped the environment.
Things that my family do to help the environment include some of the following:
My mom prefers to buy as many organic products as she can. We recycle as much as we can. We push that we take shorter showers and turn off lights when we leave a room and the house. If it is not too far my mom will tell me to ride a bike instead of her driving me.
Daily Activities
I shower every night for about 5-7 minutes. I am now using more energy to run the water longer than necessary, I am wasting water, and using the heater that using a good amount of energy. I try to turn off every light when I leave the house or room because that not only cost money but hurts the environment. When I get on my phone I am using technology which is taking from the environment. When using the computer, television, and other technology I am burning fossil fuels.
Ethics on how people treat the environment
When someone has trash in their pocket and they can’t find a trash can most tend to just drop it. If they see a video with their favorite animal and then see the animal eat the trash thinking it is food and the animal chocks and dies. Once they see the video, they may not drop the trash because they can’t find a trash can they would just put in their pocket. I have drop trash on the ground and not picked it up before, after I saw a video on what one piece of trash can do to the environment I have not dropped a piece of trash. That one piece of trash will pollute the air which will then make its way to the ozone layer that will then damage the ozone letting the sun through the ozone then melting away glaciers.
Evaluate your impact on the environment for a week.
I wake up at 5:30 leave my house at the around 6:00 and get to the 6:00 and get to the YMCA around 6:05. I workout till about 7:30 take about a 3-5 minute shower and then wait for my mom to pick me up to take me to school. So in that 2 hour span my phone alarm goes off I turn on two lights and then get in the car which is about a 1-2 minute drive. After I get out the car the thing that I use is take a shower than I get in the car to go to school. When I am at school. I use my phone at lunch, and use the schools iPad and computers. When I get home I use my phone for about 30 minutes. My mom may drive to friends houses or to go shopping for clothes, shoes, ECT.. this is a typical week for me.