Sustainability Close To Home

After ample research on sustainability throughout the semester, I only had one lingering question: what is USU doing to be sustainable? I had many examples in mind, and a simple web search brought me full circle. I explored the website of "Blue Goes Green," the official site of sustainability efforts at USU. They explained the university's sustainability efforts beginning in 1991, and their achievements up to this point. The website also gives information about sustainability policies, the sustainability council on campus, and contact information for the sustainability office located on campus. The website also has many tabs providing information about getting involved, who is involved, and many other things.

I chose to write on this source because I think it's an important connection to make when discussing sustainability. It's also interesting to see programs on campus, and important to know where to find this information if one wants to get involved in sustainability efforts. This website was very useful, and I plan to use it as a reference for future writing, and information should I choose to further pursue sustainability efforts in my time at Utah State.

Source: https://sustainability.usu.edu/about/index

Further Looks into Cartoons

After seeing a political cartoon earlier in the week, I decided to look into more of them and see if there were many. I found one on a website I had visited previously that was very powerful. The cartoon shows two kids on a foreign continent (probably Africa from the description next to the picture), and a hand is reaching toward the kids, offering them a coin. The lower part of the cartoon shows a knife cutting into the innards of the continent and removing a large amount of wealth. This cartoon had a description off to the side, which discussed that as a nation, we put about $90 billion into Africa. In turn, we remove $400 billion in research profits. This is a jab at the social sustainability of relations with foreign countries, and the environmental sustainability of basically exploiting a country for all its resources. Again this cartoon can be interpreted many ways, and that is what makes it so powerful.

I chose this media because after finding a cartoon earlier in the week, I was curious to see other cartoons on sustainability. I was very excited to further explore this form of media, and I was excited about my findings. I intend to use a political cartoon in some form for my sustainability project, and this cartoon, being an example of social sustainability, could be an option for that. I also like to see the many interpretations of cartoons and analyze them from many points of view. In my experience, every cartoon can potentially be received differently by each person who sees it, and that creates many discussions and points to consider.

Source: http://earthsharing.org/gclid=Cj0KEQjwwoLHBRDD0beVheu3lt0BEiQAvU4CKnoSQ0GUQxj0zc3ssY94TBZwYWcNivJTv3YFHkg9sOQaAkJw8P8HAQ
(cartoon toward bottom of page next to section titled "Poverty")

Sustainability Cartoons

Recently, I saw a cartoon printed on paper about conversations on sustainability. It was very similar to the satirical political cartoons you see around the internet and in news papers. The cartoon featured a panel of humans each with a microphone and sitting at a table with the words "International Forum on Sustainability" printed on it. The satirical part is that the earth is pictured with an I.V. in his "arm" and the tube of the I.V. fuels each microphone. One interpretation of this cartoon is that while we as people continue talking about sustainability but taking no action, the earth as a whole is suffering. This cartoon could send many messages about sustainability, and that is mainly why it is so influential, despite only being one picture.

I chose to write on this cartoon because immediately when I saw it, I was drawn to it. I like the idea of viewing many types of media on a topic, and political cartoons often get overlooked because of their satirical nature. I think the message of this cartoon is very powerful, and I could use it as a talking point in a powerpoint or presentation. It also leaves room for various interpretations, and can be related to all three pillars of sustainability.

Source: https://www.toonpool.com/user/1949/files/talking_abot_sustainability_1026145.jpg

The Least Sustainable Element

Tonight I watched a short promotional video about the concept of urban sprawl. The video discussed how cities wasted space and pushed people into the suburbs. This sprawling out over the natural land uses more resources because being outside the city means traveling at least 20 minutes to go to the store, office, etc. It also wastes a lot of land that could be sustainably developed in other ways. The video introduces the idea of "new urbanism." This idea is basically the concept of eliminating urban sprawl, and using the urban space we are given more efficiently and effectively. This includes things like more parks and public spaces, and less parking garages. The overall idea is to make a more community oriented city by reorganization and eliminate urban sprawl.

This video was very informative to me. I had no idea what urban sprawl was, or even that it was causing problems for so many. This topic of sustainability is not what I'm studying, but it still is an important concept to consider. I am studying to be a mechanical engineer, and urban sprawl is certainly something I could potentially run into in the future. Being more educated on this topic will be a great help to me in the future.

Source: http://earthsharing.org/gclid=Cj0KEQjwwoLHBRDD0beVheu3lt0BEiQAvU4CKnoSQ0GUQxj0zc3ssY94TBZwYWcNivJTv3YFHkg9sOQaAkJw8P8HAQ
(Video is at the bottom of page and titled, "Environmental Destruction.")

What is Social Sustainablity?

Recently, I read an online article on the site of the United Nations Global Compact about social sustainability. The main point of the article was to define social sustainability specifically in business, and talk about what it means. The article stated that social sustainability in business was all about creating positive relationships. These relationships encompass both positive and negative, and they are with both employees and customers. The more positive relationships created, the more socially sustainable the business is. As a business, achieving social sustainability can open many doors to new markets, new partners, and new products. These are the main draws for businesses to become socially sustainable, and often the reason why they choose to practice social sustainability standards.

I chose this article because for our group project, our pillar is social sustainability. This pillar isn't very well known, so I wanted to get a better feeling for this topic as we are moving into project work. I like how this article defined the topic in simple terms, and went on to explain why the topic was important. I intend to use the ideas illustrated in this article for my upcoming group project.

Source: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/our-work/social

Sustainable Home Protection

Earlier in the week, I read a very interesting article about the sustainability of home security systems. The article was very interesting, and discussed a study of carbon emissions and effectiveness of various home security systems. The most effective and least emissions came from door and window locks. The least effective and most emissions came from security alarms. Somewhere in the middle were things like sensor security lights and timed interior lighting. The high carbon emissions from alarms create a less sustainable home, and the alarms are proven to be less effective at preventing burglaries.

I decided to discuss this article because I found it very interesting. It also reinforces the points that sustainability does not need to cost a lot, and can be simple in some cases. In addition, it stresses that being sustainable can be many different things. I never would have thought about home security as a sustainability issue, but it is. I plan to use points from this article in my future sustainability writing.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170313085854.htm

Is Organic Food Sustainable

Tonight I read an article discussing the sustainability of organic food. The article voiced how many people think that eating organic food is more sustainable, when in reality it isn't. It actually takes more space to grow organic food crops than it does regular crops. Growing organic food is shown by study to put less harmful pesticides in the air, however. Ultimately, the article stressed that the solution was not in picking either inorganic food or organic food, but in picking each type appropriately, taking sustainability into account.

I plan to use this article as a reference in my writing on sustainability. It is yet another aspect to be explored when discussing the creation of a more sustainable world. This topic is also a personal interest of mine because I often buy organic food thinking I am helping the environment. Sometimes this is the case, but others it is not. It was surprising to learn this, but now I can take it into account when I am buying organic or inorganic foods. This will help me to become a more sustainability friendly consumer in the future.

Source : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170310142337.htm