We are consuming oil at an alarming rate so alarming that there are significant environmental impacts and health impacts to all personnel involved. Humans obtain oil to consume for their need of resources. This resource is used for heating our homes and powering our cars. The way this resources is obtained is through drilling and fracking.
Drilling is a direct contact with the oil where the ground is penetrated and oil is then leaked. Fracking is pumping of high temperature water which then replaces the oil which is then released. Some environmental impacts of consuming oil is the surplus of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere. Regarding the atmosphere oil spills also affects phytoplankton and algae which produces a great deal of the oxygen in the atmosphere (harpers.com). Temperatures than make our ice cap shrink losing ecosystems for organisms. When there are oil spills such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico. There was a coat of oil two inches thick on bottom of the ocean floor. 30 million gallons remaining in our oceans according to harper's.com.
“BP’s Deepwater Horizon unit in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, affect marine mammals through direct contact, inhalation and ingestion of toxic oil.” (wilderness.org) Marine life consume oil directly through inhalation and ingestion which then leads to our consumption of seafood. Direct human health impacts from the oil spill short term include skin eye and breathing. Other long term impacts are cancers and birth defects. There are many more effects on our natural world and natural selfs.
This picture is of a duck who is coated in oil because of the massive oil spills. The oil is hard to remove from the feathers. The oil effects the bird directly and indirectly. The health and life span of this bird will be greatly affected.
Plastics and our environment
Before reading this article how could someone relate oil to plastic? Plastic is made out of oil. Plastic is hard to recycle it is an expensive process. Plastic is inevitable in our oceans because of the surpulse about of it we use every day. When plastic products are biodegradable it means plastic is broken down into smaller parts which makes it easier to store as trash. It does not actually go away.
Plastic is also broken down naturally in the ocean over time. These particles do not break down completely either. Small pieces of plastic is consumed by plankton and different species of fish because they think it is their food. The giant garbage patch in the pacific ocean is talked about in Sea of plastic TED talk. This talk is about the harmful ways plastic affects our environment. They showed multiple images of disturbing pictures of plastic in animals. Our article that we read was based on environmental and health factors. In the TED talk there was an experiment to see if a popular kind of fish that is heavily consumed if there was traces of plastic in the fish. There was, which means that we also consume a small rate of plastic.
It is impossible to recycle all plastic all we can do is reduce reuse and recycle. There is no way to completely clean up the ocean, the scale is just to big, and the technology is not that advanced. It would harm the organisms of the ocean’s ecosystem. We have to be proactive not reactive and stop the plastic at the source of consumption. Which our article talked very little bit about but the Ted talk focuses on greatly which I can appreciate that because it is looking in to the future not the past.
This picture is of a sea turtle eating a plastic bag because they think it is some kind of food like a jellyfish. This plastic will eventually end up killing them because the plastic cannot be digested.
Keene, NH impacts
We were asked to relate how our article would relate to the everyday life of a KSC student. The first thing that comes to mind is banning plastic water bottles being sold on campus. By banning the consumption of water bottles there will be a limit amount of litter that would end up on the Ashuelot river, up in our larger water ways to make it to the pacific garbage patch.
Plastic is a form of oil. Another plastic we can eliminate is the use of plastic bags on campus. Plastic bags is a luxury, there are thousands of reusable bags. Students and faculty put their food from hoot n scoot and lloyds along with other stores on campus when the items could be carried in another more environmentally friendly way. Boston just joined California in the plastic bag banned. New Hampshire could be next. If we ban plastic bags from the Keene State campus than there will be less plastic bags dancing through the wind into the garbage patch.
With these minor changes there is some hope of a cleaner future. We may not think that this will have a big impact but every change helps. This will make our environment cleaner and our carbon footprint smaller.
This picture is of litter that is found on the roadside of state highways of New Hampshire. There is a fine of $200 if you are caught littering as a state law. The state also has an adopt a highway programs to help clean up highways’ litter.
http://www.12af.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/320082/litter-patrol-soto-cano-personnel-clean-up-major-honduran-highway/ 
ReplyDeleteI like how you addressed the local issue of using plastic in Hoot and Scoot by KSC students and faculty in your blog. I also like how you include enough information in your blog not making it lengthy. You used great pictures from the internet to support your writing. But I would encourage you to use some of your own picture on your blog. For example, you have talked about plastic bags being used at the Hoot and Scoot, it would be great if you could have used a picture of Hoot and Scoot in your blog. It would relate to KSC readers.
I didn't know that Boston and California are plastic free zones before, it was a new information to me. And I really like your suggestion and expectation of being New Hampshire plastic free zone next.
I also like the theme of your blog:)
I agree with your recommendation that Keene State College ban the sale of plastic water bottles. Along with this, the banning of plastic bags would reduce the use of plastic used on campus significantly. I also recommended the use of reusable bags on my blog post. I think that your choice of pictures was very good. These images target your emotions and really show how we are impacting not only ourselves, but others as well. The one that impacted me most was the one of the turtle eating plastic. This made me angry because I know the damage that is being caused. It was interesting to hear that Boston and California have joined the ban on plastic bag use. When larger cities and states start to adopt laws such as this, other states usually follow. Overall I thought that this post was really good and provided great information on the plastic issue currently impacting the world.
ReplyDeleteThe part of your post that resonated with me the most is about our overuse of plastic products today. Especially when it comes to packaging food and drinks. We can all be using reusable water bottles. Also there was a part about using plastic bags. There is no reason we have to use them. I went to Europe last year and they don’t use plastic bags at the grocery store unless you buy a bag, you just put your groceries back in the car and bring them to your car and put them in without any bags. The information about oil fracking is the most unfamiliar to me. I’ve heard about it but never really knew what it was and why it is bad. I like the set up of your blog alot and i like the scheme. I would suggest that you use the re-format button when typing up your blog because the first part looks good but the last two parts have a weird lowlight to them that doesn't match.
ReplyDelete