Chapter+Three


 * Chapter Three**

Here are a few question to get you started, as the week progresses be sure to keep checking back I will post more material.

1. Discuss some of the complications present in assessing environmental risk. Alex: One complication of assessing environmental risk is determining how bad the consequences of those risks can be. For one thing, all people will react differently to a risk, like with air pollution. The pollution will be more harmful to someone who has asthma or breathing troubles than to someone who has no problems with their lungs, making it harder to decide what the best course of action is to help all people. Along with this is finding how harmful a risk can be, whether its using tests subjects or computer simulations. Either one can never be perfectly accurate, because there are always unaccounted variables that could impact the results. Nice job thinking about an individual's health impacts their reactions to environmental pollutants. Ms Bof

2. What does the term Reference Dose (RfD) mean and how is it used.

Catie : Reference Dose (RfD) is a number that tells us the maximum dose of a toxic substance that is acceptable and can be tolerated before becoming harmful. Reference Dose is often used for pesticides. The unit for Reference Dose is milligrams of pollutant per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg/day). It can be difficult to calculate the RfD because numbers will differentiate based on the environment, previous conditions, etc. The US Environmental Protection Agency uses Reference Dose to make sure that pollutants and toxic substances like pesticides are legal and safe when used in the environment. Another important consideration is the synergistic impact of many pollutants. Ms Bof Alex: Synergistic impacts of pollutants are the damages done by either two or more pollutants, to human health or the environment, that are greater than the damages done by each individual pollutant when acting alone. The RfD would help to lower the synergistic impacts on humans and their environments by helping to regulate or give some idea of the amount of pollutants that are in the environment.

3. As you read the section on True and Perceived Risk ... pay special attention to the asbestos discussion. Asbestos is the issue that has resulted in the burial mounds in the learning commons. Do a bit more research into asbestos abatement and address the following questions: Alex: Before strict building codes were put into place, asbestos was very desirable by builders because of it's sound absorbtion, strength, and it's resistence to fire, heat, eletrical and chemical damage. It was most often used as insulation to help protect the basic structures of buildings. Max: Th ere are many problems associated with asbestos. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, like lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. People who have long exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibers are more likely to develop health problems. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed while working in asbestos environments.
 * Why would asbestos of been used in the first place?
 * What are the problems associated with asbestos?


 * Think about the old commons "C" area as well as the idea of turning it into a "learning commons" (you can Google learning commons" help come up with a solution to help the school move forward with their plan to create a true learning commons.

Kelcie: A Learning Commons is an integrated service hub that makes it easy for students to get academic help. The first step the school should take is to clear out the asbestos, in order to do this safely a profession should be called in to remove the asbestos. After this is cleared out it would be a good idea to remove everything that was near the asbestos and essentially redo the entire room. After this is completed, the school should make it more like a library with tables and chairs so students are able to do their work and get help. Then the school should partner up with NHS to help tutor kids.

Logan: A group of NHS members recently took a afternoon to organize the commons into a effective tutoring center. The key to making "Commons C" a success is attracting lower clansmen who need tutoring and also upper clansmen who can help tutor.The room is in pretty rough condition and therefore we must get rid of the asbestos. Once these are gone, some new painted walls, suitable furniture and even a new floor would suit the environment there well. If all goes well, Concord senior high will have a prestigious learning commons!

4. Watch the following video. Discuss why some find Garret Hardin's views so worrisome.

media type="youtube" key="g8yOamWq3a0" height="315" width="420" Freddie: This interview has an emphasis on how overpopulation and human nature causes problems that are extremely difficult to fix. One of the problems addresses in the video is how it is a goal of the world to raise the living conditions of societies around the world to the standard that we have in the United States. Although this is a noble goal, the Earth would not be able to sustain 7 billion people living in the conditions that we have. To allow for increase of the condition of life in places without some of the basic necessities of life such as clean water, we must sacrifice many of the things we take for granted, such as a third car, or a lake house for example. These topics make us think about the small things, such as donating money, or time to help people in third world counties, instead of spending it on a vacation. We must sacrifice some of our excess so others can get the necessities.

Keagan : I think that many people find Garret Hardin's views worrisome due to the ideas Freddie talked about. Because of the fact that Hardin is criticizing the way of life of most Americans. He goes on to state that in order for people across the globe to receive what they need, we would need to cut back in major ways, including limiting the number of children a family could have. I can see how many people would take this as an attack on what they deserve as rights, as it goes against many of the pillars of our society. He calls for changes that would require government regulation on a level that surpasses that of any developed nation. While I personally agree with some of his ideas, I understand that they would certainly be troubling to large portions of society.

5. Watch this short video and write ...the moral of the story.../media type="youtube" key="EZFkUeleHPY" height="315" width="420"

Catie: I think that the moral of the story is that we shouldn't be selfish or greedy, but that we need to share and think before we act. The earth is home to everyone, and we all need it to survive. But if we are constantly competing with one another for resources and only thinking about ourselves and our own gains, the environment and our home will become destroyed. We all need to share and work together to sustain the environment and we need to start thinking in terms of the big picture, rather than just about ourselves. Do you think that the fact that we may even be talking about areas that are shared among countries further complicates the issue? Ms Bof

Nick: I think that when the cooperation of countries is called for regarding any situation, the task at hand does become more complex to settle. Every country will want to do what benefits themselves the best. Though what benefits one country isn't necessarily going to benefit all countries, an example of which being large oil pipelines in the middle east belonging to oil rich countries, running through and disrupting the life of countries who do not own oil. In order to arrive at solutions that are universally good, countries involved in the issue at had need to be willing to compromise.

Freddie: To me this video is a very simplified and clear example of how even though the environment can not be completely protected, it does not mean that we must take from it. Even though there are no immediate ramifications, we must think selflessly, and predict what our greediness might affect in the future. I think that this being a problem in land shared by two countries is even more serious and complicated than a land such as a common. Not only is there environmental consequences to taking more than your share, but it could also become a competition between the two counties with the mindset of, "if I don't take it first, they will get it." This situations could cause tension between governments which would reduce the possibility of the two countries cooperating to repair the damage cost to the environment. The difference between farmers on a common, and countries is that on the common, there is a shared governor, who can intercede if necessary, but with two countries, there is not a governing body that can preside over the issue. The United Nations might be a possibility, but if the two countries in the dispute were the main forces behind the UN, there would be no unbiased governing body.

Ms. Kilday: These videos point to the reality that some sacrifices will need to be made in the near future, as well as some creative choices, if we want to avoid tipping the balance of life systems here on Earth to the point where life as we know it is irrevocably changed. In some ways it sounds so gloom and doom, particularly considering the global issues that have been discussed here. Along the lines of this discussion, one of last week's segments on Living On Earth highlights some creative ways to make agriculture more sustainable (in a global context) - []. There’s also a link to an article “A New Approach to Feeding the World” which goes into greater detail and has references for further research if anyone’s interested. Great examples of thinking outside the box, but the incentive for action is needed. I hope that as a species we are adaptable enough, creative enough, and have enough time to make some important and intelligent changes.

Kyle Zollo : I think the moral of this video is that with something as vast and truly unprotected as the environment, it really comes down to everyone that benefits from it to step up and protect it. Just like "the commons" no one can guard every piece of the environment and constantly be patrolling and regulating. Even as the government lays down rules for the environment must be treated, it really does come down into the hands of human beings as a whole to decide how will be best way to distribute the use of the environement, and how it shall be protected.

Logan : The moral of this video is exemplified in the last statement, "the world is in your hands". It is our job to keep the earth sustainable for more humans and future generations. Everyone certainly has a right to the resources, but if the United States, for instance used all the oil supplies the world, there wouldn't be any left after a while. Therefore, the entire planet would be effected. Or maybe Brazil decides to completely destroy the amazon forest to create a national wood industry. The entire planet would be greatly effected again. So, in other words, if everyone determines there use for certain supplies and makes sure to leave some for continued prosperity, the worlds resources will be sustained successfully.

Kelcie: I think the moral of the story is that even though the environment doesn't belong to anyone specifcally, to take from it entitles you some responsibility to maintain it. In the second example, the people who were in the environment cut down all the trees without planting new ones this ruined it for everyone else because the forest was then destroyed. In "the commons" all the farmers grew selfish and instead of using it for a community area they used up all the resources and ruined the land by overpoplating it.