Monthly Archives: January 2024

Personal is Political (1)

Posted on by under Personal is Political

A few years ago, I was taking my dog on her daily afternoon walk around my neighborhood. Because it was always my job to take her on this daily walk, I had a route that I would stick to every day. To keep myself occupied and entertained on these walks I would put my earbuds in and listen to music, I wasn’t necessarily paying attention to the world around me. On this particular day, I was gearing up to go and I decided that this time I was going to go without my phone or earbuds and take in the nature and be present in the moment. I got the leash for my dog and we were on our merry way. 

As we were leaving my street and walking towards a more busy street, I stepped on something that made a loud crunching sound. As I lifted my foot to check what it was, I saw a crunched-up Pepsi can. When I saw this, it was like more litter was appearing right in front of my eyes; there was a crumpled-up napkin in front of a beautiful rose bush, a plastic spoon and fork by the fire hydrant, and a plastic water bottle over by the curb near the main road. I thought to myself, since when did all this litter appear around me? Sometimes, it only takes one occurrence to start making you see clearly. I didn’t know whether I pick up the trash around me or just leave it for someone else to pick up. But, I couldn’t help but see such a beautiful street be ruined by these eyesores of plastic that were lying on the ground. 

I went back home to grab a trash bag and a plastic glove and started picking up the trash. The more litter I picked up, the more I noticed. Time passed by quickly and so did the distance of the walk. I ended up picking up litter for two hours. That day, my dog got a nice long walk, I got my steps in, and the neighborhood became less of a littered place. 

We can all sometimes get caught up in a daily routine and be so engrossed in what we’re doing, that we aren’t even aware of the reality that is around us. It can be hard to get out of this cycle, but once you do you can help make the world a better place. 

Would you go around and throw your trash on the floor in your own house? No!.. Or, at least I hope not. So if we are answering no to this question, why do we think it’s okay to throw trash outside near such beautiful nature and greenery, because it’s convenient? Someone else will pick it up? It’s just a napkin, it won’t matter. — As humans populating this Earth, it is primarily up to us to keep this place beautiful and clean. Whether this be composting or picking up some litter that you see on the ground, everything and anything will make a great difference. 

 

 

Civic Issues (1)- Sustainability

Posted on by under Civic Issue

In one of my science classes that I’m taking this semester, we have been learning a lot about deforestation being a main anthropogenic source that has been a leading factor for the increase in atmospheric CO2. Because deforestation is one of the biggest factors of climate change, it is crucial that people are educated on what exactly deforestation means and how it takes place. This way, more people can speak out and take charge in advocating against deforestation everywhere.

Amazon Rainforest Deforestation- BBC

A rainforest that is known and loved by many people has been a victim of rapid deforestation for many years now: the Amazon Rainforest. This rainforest alone is able to absorb about one-fourth of the Earth’s CO2. But, because of the constant degradation that is caused every year, the amount of CO2 absorbed has decreased about 30% in recent years (National Geographic). Not only does this affect the human population, but also the species that live in the rainforest. This deforestation has resulted in loss of habitats and a decrease in biodiversity. These trees provide a significant amount of use for the species in the rainforest. It provides shelter, food, and much more. Without these basic necessities for their survival, they can’t remain in healthy conditions and eventually start to die out.

The Earth’s ecosystem is a web and many things have different effects on other factors. When we mess up with this web, it doesn’t just affect one aspect, but the whole ecosystem. With this in mind, deforestation isn’t just harming the trees but on a larger scale, it is disturbing habitats, the atmosphere, the human population, water supply, and the list will go on and on.

So, who is letting deforestation continue and why is this happening? The three main reasons are agricultural land use, infrastructure, and fires. Because of the demand for more meat consumption and animal products, these companies start to dig into forests to expand the agriculture. The forests are turned into farmland and used to produce more of these products. These animal product go from meat to different oils and makeup products. When the forests are converted into farmland, the habitats of the species that lived there and the plants are gone. It is hard to regrow these after agriculture resides there.

The second reason for deforestation is fires. Fire burning in forest landscapes are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem such as nourishing soil, open up the forest to sunlight, and maintaining the underbrush. But, when these controlled fires happen in the wrong places and become uncontrolled, this results in loss of forests. These fires can end up changing the structure of the forest and can burn millions of acres (WWF).

The last reason we’ll cover is infrastructure. To maintain a good economy and civilization, infrastructure is required. This can be from roads and bridges to energy sources and buildings. Governments will often resort to using forest land to build this infrastructure. The way these things are designed and built can be done poorly and can affect the ecosystem of the forest.

With all of these factors, deforestation needs to be tamed. We only have so much of the forests on this Earth and it is up to us to preserve them.

Forest Fire- WHO

Sources:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/amazon-deforestation-and-climate-change/

https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/deforestation-in-the-amazon-rainforest

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation#:~:text=The%20leading%20cause%20of%20deforestation,the%202023%20Forest%20Declaration%20Assessment.

RCL (3) Blog Topics

Posted on by under RCL

My blog topic for Personal is Political will be to take an encounter or small thing that has happened to me in the recent weeks that correlates with a pressing political issue that connects the best with that story. It will tie in and help people get the perspective that this big political problems can be seen in day-to-day encounters.

My blog topic for Civic Issues will be about environmental issues happening around us and if we are moving towards the right direction.

RCL (2)- “This I Believe” Draft

Posted on by under RCL

I believe in listening to your parents. To hear this from an 18-year-old currently in college is pretty jarring, I know. It was May of my junior year. The weather was warming up, the days were getting longer, and the thought of school coming to a close was making my patience shrink. Junior year was quite a pivotal year for me in many aspects: new friends, a boyfriend, thinking about colleges, and a whole summer ahead to embrace the new and improved me! 

I was sitting at the dinner table on a Friday night after school. The windows were open and letting in the warm, spring air that with each breath made me think about the summer days ahead; I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. We were eating my dad’s famous homemade pizza that night, which only added to the bliss I was feeling. I took my first sip of my ice-cold Coke after a bite of the pizza fresh out of the oven, while my parents were on their first glass of wine that they paired perfectly for the night’s meal. The dinner was only just beginning. Our appetite was growing, and conversations about our days’ were beginning to erupt. All of a sudden, as we were entering the topic of summer plans, my parents gave each other a knowing look which only led me to a confused look. My mom motions to my dad to let him speak. My eyes jolted to my dad in anticipation of what they could have to say to me. “Grace, we signed you up to go to take classes in Ireland this summer”. 

What?! Before they could say another word I started to bombard them with questions that were rooted in my surprise and confusion. “You signed me up without telling me? I’m going to Ireland with nobody that I know? I’m going for the whole summer? What about my friends? What about all my amazing plans? What about my summer?!”. All justified questions coming from a 16-year-old girl who felt like it was a 3-month sentence to the unknown. Although, taking classes during summer does feel like that big of a deal after just surviving junior year. 

By the time they answered my questions and I felt more at ease, only the crumbs remained from the pizza, my ice-cold Coke turned into melting ice in a cup, and their glasses were slightly stained by the deep red color of the pinot noir that used to fill up the glass. I still wasn’t completely convinced and was mildly unsure about what this summer was going to hold. Despite this, I was going.

As May flew by and school was over, it was time for me to head to Ireland. There were teary-eyed goodbyes to the people whom I thought I had all summer with. Soon after, I was on a direct flight to Dublin. 

Fast forward a couple weeks into the trip as we were walking through a quiet little Irish village filled with the most beautiful nature and kindest people, I remember thinking to myself “I’m so glad I listened to my parents”. That day, when I was able to find Wifi in a restaurant we were in, I immediately went to call my parents and tell them this. That summer was one of the most life-changing and important times of my life and I got to experience it because of my parents. 

Although it might not feel like it all the time, listening to the people who love and support you is important. Make sure that you let your ego down once in a while and get a new perspective on certain opinions. This can help you make your experiences in life all the better. I met some of my lifelong friends this way and got to experience some of my best memories to date. Thanks, mom and dad!



RCL (1)

Posted on by under RCL

I was just enrolled in this class this Thursday, so here is my first blog post.

My two ideas for my “This I Believe” podcast is talking about being the youngest of 7 kids with a 5 year age gap. I can talk about my experience of what it’s like growing up in a big family and how it can consume your identity and the ups and downs of that. Another idea for my podcast is going from a school with 50 kids in each grade, to then going to Penn State and the challenges that I faced and the good experiences I was able to have through this change.

Some possible ideas for my Personal is Political blog is taking stories, both positive and negative, that have helped me grow as a person and experiences that built my identity and character. There have been many events in my life, big and small, that have made me who I am. I can then connect these with a broader political issue that can create a lesson for a bigger audience. I can also tell stories of the people around me in my personal life who have influenced who I am as a person.

Two ideas for my Civic Issues blog are the climate change crisis or a more general environmental advocacy blog. This two ideas cover some of the same topics but with some differences. I have always been very passionate about the human impact in our environment and what we can do to combat this.

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