October 28

Sources for Paradigm Shift

The first source is the website for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commision. It the commission that oversees things that we use every day and the power and electricity that powers them. This specific link leads you to their sustainability efforts in what they call, the sustainable energy fund. This link provides different projects that they are doing as well as recordings of all board meetings connected to the topic. I can use this source to look at how the state is pushing forward with renewable energy.  

The second source is the website for the State of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Protection agency. This specific link leads you to information on renewable energy and the projects that they are doing right now. This is also a government link, but it is a different department all together. This focuses mostly on conservation of the environment so it will give me a different look at some of the state policies in place.  

The third source is from a state lobbyist group that focuses on sustainability and environmental protection. Titled Penn Future this link brings you to their home page. It is important to see more than just what the government is doing. Paradigm shifts can be seen through a government lens, but they happen more with the society and they are more up to date than the government, which can move slowly. I can use this source to look at the other side of state politics on the issue.  

The fourth source is a study done by NPR that shows the places that there is fracking going on in the state of Pennsylvania. This resource will be very helpful because fracking is a big subject in this year’s election, and it is a very polarizing issue especially in our state. I can use this source to look at the impact of fracking as well as what should be done and what is being done.  

The fifth source is an article from the New York Times. It is an article that looks at the risks of fracking in PA and what it is doing to both the environment and the economies of the local towns where this is happening. I believe by narrowing in on this subject of fracking it can be seen as a microcosm of the bigger issue.  

 

 

The sixth source is from another lobbyist group named, The Wilderness Society. This page in particular looks at the dangers of fracking and what it does to the environment. It also describes the process in detail. I can use this source to look at how the process works and for background information.  

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October 28

Grand Canyon Part 1

The national parks that I have talked about so far have generally been on the East Coast. A trend that makes sense when you think about my proximity to them, but one I was determined to change. This opportunity came when my family decided to take a trip to Arizona. This meant getting on a plane and going farther west than I had ever been before. To say I was excited was an understatement. I had always dreamed about seeing the desert. Iin my dreams, John Wayne was there in an old tavern, sipping whatever it is that they used to drink in the Wild West. Knowing this wouldn’t happen, I decided that the Grand Canyon and enough cactuses for a lifetime would be more than enough to satisfy the taste of the Wild West I had always dreamed of. So, we packed our bags, and we flew to Phoenix, Arizona, a world away in just a few hours. It’s hard to describe how different it feels to be there. The desert is exactly what you would expect it to be, a rolling expanse of cacti, rock, and tumbleweeds. Images of RVs and Walter White from Breaking Bad stumbling around seem so normal there that I half expected it to be real.  

The culture there is different as well. The city of Phoenix isn’t like a city in the Northeast. It’s spread out, not really walkable in the way you would think it is. They don’t have a subway system the way Philadelphia or New York City has. Native American culture is very prevalent in the art and the businesses around the area in a way that it never would be in Philly. I can’t say it was everything I imagined because I wasn’t sure what to imagine, but the second my sister dragged us to a store to buy cowboy boots I felt like this was exactly the trip I had wanted. With the Grand Canyon being nearly four hours north of Phoenix that was a trip that we would have to take in a few days.  

When the day came to go to the Grand Canyon we hopped in our rental car and got on the road. On the way we stopped in Sedona. Sedona is a wonder all in itself. Formations of rose-colored rocks rise out of the ground with sheer drops that go hundreds of feet down. I couldn’t help but stare in awe and think to myself, if this is just Sedona what will the Grand Canyon be like? And I have to say I wasn’t prepared for that answer.  

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October 21

A Ted Talk, and the Paradigm Shift Surrounding It

Ted Talk Link: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_crowther_the_global_movement_to_restore_nature_s_biodiversity/discussion 

Ted Talk: The global movement to restore nature’s diversity by Thomas Crowther 

This Ted Talk focuses on something that is fundamental to continued life on this planet. The restoration of our global ecosystem is what will keep this planet alive for us and for future generations. This shows a global movement to do just that. How international organizations and companies around the world have pledged to work together to help the place we call home. These kinds of movements and this type of work is something that I am very interested in and something I may want to do when I graduate college. This Ted Talk also closely relates to a movie that was recently released on Netflix. Titled, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. He calls it his witness statement. He has spent decades trekking across the world to explore natural environments and the cultures around the world. He has personally watched land be destroyed to be developed for human use, and he has watched animals lose their homes. He uses this movie to push for a movement very similar to the one this Ted Talk talks about.  

This all connects to what I am interested in talking about. Over the course of civilization humans have looked at the environment as something that is to be used. Only recently have we come to a point that people are looking to reverse our effects. This change in society is propelled by the ever-present effects of climate change that are seen every day around the world. By talking about this shift, I hope to open up people’s eyes to the things that need to be done as well as what they can do to help. As of now this is my favorite idea for the project ahead, but I am still brainstorming. I do want to talk about something with the environment and this Ted Talk is one that clearly explains a problem to the viewer.  

Category: RCL | 3 Comments on A Ted Talk, and the Paradigm Shift Surrounding It
October 21

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains was the end of my adventures in America’s National Parks for a long time. The next time that I went to a National Park was in Ohio. In Ohio there is a lesser–known park called Cuyahoga National Park. Nestled in the Cuyahoga Valley, this National Park was founded in the year 2000, making it one of the newest National Parks in the country. Every year my family and I would visit my grandparents at their home outside of Detroit, Michigan. We could never drive straight through because my mom would not want to spend an entire day in the car. This meant that we got to stop at different places. This year after doing a little research I was able to find Cuyahoga National Park. This National Park is a lot quieter, and it is different from what you may expect. Due to the fact that it was created much later than a lot of the other parks, making it hard to piece the land together. To solve this, they incorporated a town and multiple farms into the park itself. By buying the farms and partnering with the farms, it creates a self-sustaining neighborhood right in the middle of the vast network of trails.  

Our destination that day was in Pittsburgh. Five hours from Philadelphia, it seemed like the perfect mid-point between home and Michigan. This meant that if we left in the morning, we could hit the park by lunch. On the way, I decided to do some research. Cuyahoga National Park was created along the historic Ohio canals. There are historic railways and historic farms that show visitors what life was like there in the 1800s. It is also famous for its waterfalls and has hundreds of miles of paths for people to explore. It is a unique place to go to as people usually think of wild forests, deserts, or wide-open environments for National Parks, but this one is not just about the environment it is about the culture that has been practiced there for hundreds of years.  

To get there you follow a winding path through fields filled with blooming flowers during the spring. These wild fields are a shock compared to the highways that are only a few miles down the road. This winding road leads into a small town that is home to a quaint collection of buildings such as a church and a restaurant named The Winking Lizard Tavern. This kitschy restaurant is home to a menu full of wings and a habitat of lizards. Free popcorn also sits on the side ready for anyone to take. Things like this make this National Park as unique as it gets.  

 

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October 14

Reflection on Rhetoric Speech

Writing a speech about something from my hometown that seemed so commonplace was a strange experience. In everyday life we see things and begin to take them for granted. It is hard to imagine the work and thought that goes into the things we see when we pass them by on the way to our destination. Advertising is definitely one of those things for me. The cheesesteak is a sandwich known around the world, and it is known as a Philly thing. Something we created, and something that we continue to do the best. I do not go to Pats or Genos often, but it is an attraction that many tourists come to see. My English teacher in high school once said to take a day every once in a while, to be a tourist in your hometown. That you would see where you live in a totally different light. That’s what it felt like for me to look at this infamous rivalry. Pats and Genos, pancakes and waffles, how good is Carson Wentz really? These endless debates are things that fascinate me, so I decided to look into how they advertise against each other.  

Showing my group my speech felt weird. I don’t love hearing my own voice and it felt very vulnerable. But the response I got surprised me. They seemed to really like my speech. They all agreed that my pacing was good and that I spoked clearly. The one main criticism that I got was that I paused for too long in some places or stumbled over my own words for a second. These are all things that to me come with practice. The uncomfortable truth of public speaking is that the only way to get good at it, is to do it. I think this really helped me gain confidence in my own words and feel like I can speak at a pace that I think affects the crowd the best. Overall, I like where my speech went, and I am proud of it.  

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October 14

Great Smoky Mountains Part 2

When we left off Hill Billy Golf and a cinnamon bun had taken over the night. As fun as the town itself was, it was time to see the national park itself. The Great Smoky Mountains are unlike anything I have ever seen. Lush green forests, valleys, waterfalls, all teeming with life. It is hard to completely understand how large the park actually is. It can feel crowded at times, but it is big enough to feel lost in if you want to. The more you explore, the more you understand that this park protects 522,419 acres of land. As a mountain range it has plenty of uphill hikes to explore. I remember a very specific, very steep hike. Straight out of the car we started towards the trail head. It was somewhat busy which I didn’t love, but I understood that the farther we went the fewer people we would see. The packed dirt path was covered in rocks and a canopy of trees. As we walked, we started to see this specific spider, as it turns out I hate spiders. Though I didn’t like it, I pushed forward a bit more and came to a stream that cut straight through the path horizontally. There was a rock path through it. For some reason this specific stream stuck with me. There was not anything special about it. It was just a pure, clean, natural stream. Moss covered rocks guided the crystal-clear water down the mountain to a place I couldn’t follow. Moments like this, one where nature just hits you, are the moments that I think make national parks so special to so many people.  

I may love national parks, and my family may love hiking, but I am not sure I would describe ourselves as outdoors people. Because of that I was shocked when my parents wanted to have a picnic for lunch on a campground in the park. There was a sandy patch of woods next to a large stream with benches. I remember that there was a small store for the campers to get stuff and inside the store was a deli. I got a barbeque pulled pork sandwich. I have said before that food is a focal point for my family. Maybe that is why I remember so vividly a lunch we had when I can’t remember other moments, but it was one of the few times I can remember my family going on a picnic. For these moments alone The Great Smoky Mountains will always hold a special place in my heart.  

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