1. Choose a specific ecosystem. Explain the connection between biodiversity and this ecosystem in around 250 words.
2. Make a system diagram to show how this connection is formed.I chose the temperate broadleaf forest for my ecosystem. This ecosystem exists where I live, in Pennsylvania. Biodiversity and the ecosystem are closely related in the way that they depend on one another. In the ecocentric aspect, biodiversity is vital because of the intrinsic values that the different components of the ecosystem benefit from. These benefits include things such as shelter, food, and competition to keep individual populations under control. To further expand on this, biodiversity, or “a measure of variation and richness of living organisms at a particular scale”, of the temperate broadleaf forest would be the incredible number or insects, the variation in vegetation, and the of animal species, from deer to bears. In terms of competition, foxes and hawks both eat small rodents like mice and rabbits, so because of this, they keep the other’s populations in check. As for anthropocentric reasons for the importance of biodiversity, this is centered on what humans can get out of the ecosystem. The temperate broadleaf forest provides lumber, recreation, water resources, as well as food. As far as the connection between biodiversity and this ecosystem in terms of anthropocentric reasons, the more biodiversity, the more options humans have to benefit from the ecosystem. However, the inclusion of humans to the ecosystem means that there is a higher the chance of disruption to the ecosystem. Although there are natural disturbances as well, human disturbances, like cutting down trees, or polluting the water source, can put both the ecosystem and the amount of biodiversity, in limbo.

The main ideas behind my diagram revolve around the Wikileaks cables from the Copenhagen Accords. First of all, the issue is formed behind the problem of climate change. This issue led the UN to bring together 193 countries to discuss what the world needs to accomplish in terms of creating a healthier planet. This created the Copenhagen Accords. Once the delegates assembled, however, it became obvious that the US was sending secretive messages to many other countries in favor of signing the weak document. First, the United States used resources like the CIA to discover information about the other countries participating. At times, they chose to work w h the poor countries who needed compensation to deal with the repercussions. One instance that this can be seen is with Bolivia, where the US cut aid because of “cit[ed] opposition to the accord”. The US participated in creating the terms and therefore helped the countries they were working with get the terms that they believed were fair. This participation as well as the “wheeling and dealing” of the United States helped countries like Saudi Arabia sign the document. Moving on, the US participation helped to enlist 140 countries to at least promise to sign the accord. This means that little debate went into the document and the terms were much more lenient than they could, or should, have been. In the end, this situation ended with the US leading the debate on climate change.

In my opinion, this whole encounter was not approached in the correct way. Although I understand that these are private conversations, and the people who took part in them would have liked them to stay private, I believe it is important that the public at least know that they happened. The specific contents need not be discussed or leaked to the point that they were, but I think that the public deserves the justice of knowing what deals our country is making in terms of our environment. I think that the US government should have led the distribution of information regarding this transaction. A very important consequence of the actions of the United States delegates was that the debate and discussion was severely limited. Because of this, some may argue that proper mitigation for climate change will not be fulfilled by the appropriate countries. This has to do with the issue of ethics as well as individual vs collective responsibility. Although the United States has the means and the technology to develop more responsible methods in terms of the use of natural resources, they instead put their ample funds towards coercing other delegates to sign a “toothless” contract, so to speak. I think that if the US had considered what they were doing in terms of ethically sound communications, they would be trying to convince others to do their part in cleaning up our world. In terms of individual action, the United States had the chance to get the rest of the countries on board for a much more thorough accord in which the environment would get cleaned up. However, they chose to use ethically un-sound methods to achieve their goal of lack of actual repercussions.

According to the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, my area of the United States, South-Eastern Pennsylvania, had many different weather events that effect it. First of all, it falls in the Zone 3-4 Tropical Cyclone area, as seen on page 3. Moving on, the same area falls in about a zone 3-4 for hailstorms. For extratropical storms, or winter storms, Pennsylvania can be seen as a zone 2. Continuing on, Tornadoes fall in the range from 2-3 in my area. On the other hand, the hazard of wildfires is extremely low. The changes that El Nino and La Nina bring about to Pennsylvania are opposites; during El Nino, this area gets warmer and experiences fewer storms while during La Nina, there are more storms, on average. Lastly, over time, this same area has become warmer and wetter. I found this method extremely difficult to find the actual statistics for my specific hometown.

The event that I chose was the eruption of Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano. This cannot happen in my hometown because we do not have any volcanoes near us. Although the volcano is very close to civilization, only 50 miles from Mexico City, it only spewed ash and vapor. Because of this, I do not think that it really caused a huge effect. Also, because it is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, I think that the population of Mexico City is prepared. However, IF this happened in Downingtown, my hometown, I think that it would definitely cause a disruption. For example, I do not think that any of the high schools either in my district or the surrounding areas would be ready to respond. Schools and businesses would be closed, parents would keep their children inside, and there would be general panic. This was not terribly severe, so I do not think that my town would be suffering from any severe consequences. I think that by practicing drills and training more individuals in the proper procedure of cleaning up and maintenance, my town would fare just fine.

According to usa.com, Downingtown has an extremely low chance of earthquakes, a nonexistent chance of volcanoes, but a higher chance of tornadoes than a lot of other places in Pennsylvania and even the rest of the US. In my personal experience, we experienced a minor earthquake in 2012. Last year, a tornado’s path went straight through Downingtown, and more specifically, it went straight through my house. The earthquake caused next to no damage. The tornado, on the other hand, caused an extreme amount of damage to my family as well as many others in my area. Downingtown is especially vulnerable to this type of disaster because of the forested nature of the geography. The second source I found gives a list of precautions to take in order to prepare for tornadoes, thunder and lightning, and other extreme weather. These resources were a lot more useful than pretty much any other of the resources.

“Downingtown, PA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes.” – USA.com™. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

“Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania. Ready, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

I think the main precaution that people that live in my hometown can take is to be informed and educated on the hazards that can take place in Downingtown. For example, learning about what makes a tree unsturdy or diseased is a great thing to know, in order to avoid damage to property. Also, another precaution that is always a good idea is an emergency preparedness kit and first aid kit. This can be made by literally anyone. Lastly, any able-bodied person should have a saw or chainsaw in their tool kit. I think that this is necessary because of the wooded nature of the area. Every storm, no matter how slight, brings down a few trees and I think that everyone fit to help should do so. I can help by being prepared in all the above ways!

I live in Chester County, Pennsylvania. I live in a town called West Chester, though I attended Downingtown High School. West Chester has about 19,000 people while Downingtown is home to about 7,000. West Chester is located about forty-five minutes North-West of Philadelphia. I would describe this area as a prime example of an automobile suburb. This is because it is almost impossible, living in the small development that I do, to travel anywhere without a car. Although some may argue that biking is an option, the closest grocery store is 5 miles down an extremely busy road. Although Downingtown seems like a fairly small metropolitan area, I graduated with a class of about 500 and there are three high schools in the district. I do have a strong connection to this area because of my family’s orchard, called Highland Orchards. I spend a lot of time in this much-less inhabited area of my hometown.

The first city from the module that caught my eye was Copenhagen. The main idea that was discussed about this city is the fact that bicycle transportation is considered the norm. Although, as I previously stated, my town is not well-suited for this type of travel, I think that this is a very sustainable method that could take West Chester into the future. Another aspect that Copenhagen incorporates is the pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods. Although the traffic going through West Chester has many limitations, I think that more of these pedestrian-oriented roads could benefit the environment as well as increase the overall health of the area. By adapting the roads to be more suitable to both bicycles and pedestrians, I think that the city of West Chester could become a more eco-friendly place, similar to Copenhagen.

The second place where I saw some extraordinary efforts was the district in Haiti from the video. Although this is an area that has repeatedly been devastated in recent years, through the earthquake, through economics, and through lack of medicine and technology, they have found a way to create a sustainable program. The video states that all unused or broken tires are put to use in the form of planters, which can be seen everywhere from gardens to rooftops in this area. This method both reuses material that would simply clutter the landfills or sit on the side of the road unused. Also, it takes advantage of the fertile soil and moist weather Haiti experiences to grow fruits and vegetables for the community. As a somewhat affluent area, I think that West Chester could be the perfect place to do a test-run of this idea. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always appreciated, and there are always individuals who are in need of this kind of produce.

Every day, I have the choice on what to consume. Should I go for the healthy salad from the dining hall or the processed meat on a hoagie from the deli down town? More often than not, I choose the faster, easier, and most times less expensive choice. I am definitely very educated on the subject of what foods are healthy, what foods contain healthy components, and what foods I absolutely should not eat, but I still cannot seem to keep myself away from the especially bad foods. I think that part of this social norm is our generation’s access to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt foods as well as our ideas about instant gratification. Of course the foods that contain the worst ingredients taste the best, and my peers, as well as myself, can’t help ourselves when we are tempted to reach for a bag of chips instead of a bag of carrots.

I think a lot of this can connect to the issues of obesity as well as the problems with industrial farms. To begin with, because of all the reasons that I have listed above, more and more people across the world are classified as obese or overweight. This creates an issue because unhealthy people means more money spent on health and wellness rather than education, or funding new ideas or research. Secondly, the bad-for-you foods are generally mass-produced in huge industrial farms or processed in similar facilities. As the short video, The Meatrix, showed, these Agribusinesses are wiping out smaller, healthier farms. The huge corporations are hurting our planet in many ways. First, they are destroying the environment through pollution. Secondly, they are harming the human population by pumping us full of unknown chemicals as well as processed foods. Last, they are helping to deteriorate the local economies of many places globally. I think that the social norms should be changed so that it is easier and more desirable to eat in a healthy, sustainable way.

1a) I’m from a town near Philadelphia called Downingtown. The Downingtown Municipal Water Authority (DMWA) provides water to over 10,000 people several local counties. The East Branch of the Brandywine is the main water source. Although the DMWA can take up to 3.8 million gallons per day, they supply 1.2 million gallons per day to customers on average. I have actually visited the water filtration plant that the DMWA owns and operates on a field trip my senior year of high school with my AP Environmental Science class. At this facility, the surface water source goes through a treatment process that combines chemical additions, mixing, settling, filtration and disinfection. All of these steps are completed before the water is redistributed. After being treated, the water goes through an extensive system to each household that depends on public water. At home, we have an on-site anaerobic septic system. This means that bacteria eat away at the waste products and filter through them. The solid waste stays in the tank and the liquid goes through a pipe and goes through yet another anaerobic system in a nearby field. The bacteria continue to filter the waste as it also filters through many levels of soil and sediment until it eventually returns to the ground supply.

1b) Daily Usage (Monday)

Brushing Teeth (2), .5 gal

Shower (15 mins), 56 gal

Water (drinking), .5 gal

Toilet (6), 30 gal

Faucet (8 times washing hands/face), 12 gal

1c) I had not realized how much water I was actually using in the shower. If I had to live on 2 gallons a day, daily showers would definitely be avoided. Also, it is hard to understand how much water is used simply in flushing the toilet. With the 2 gallon challenge, I think I would have to cut down on using the toilet as well as flushing it. I think that I would have to prioritize water for drinking as well as washing my hands and face, but perhaps cutting down on that portion significantly. I definitely was not successful in the challenge of using only 2 gallons a day, but because of this I will definitely be more conscious about how much water I use and how I can cut down on it as much as possible. Geography really plays a part in water usage because depending on both the physical and cultural components of where you live dictates how much water each individual is allotted.

1. 1. Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts (virtue ethics vs. action ethics)?

   In my opinion, action ethics means a lot more than simple value ethics. However, this being said, I also think that without value ethics, action ethics would not be possible. It is important to consider both of these sides of ethics as valid and important. Also, it is perhaps even more important to stand up for what you believe in, which is exactly what action ethics portrays. It is not simply enough to think about living a fulfilling and ethically-sound life without acting upon it. Action ethics creates the idea that people who see something morally wrong will do anything in their power to set said thing right. For example, someone who thinks deforestation in the Amazon is morally wrong, but practices value ethics would keep their opinion to themselves. Someone practicing action ethics would perhaps attempt to educate their peers on the wrong-doing that is happening. Although that example only provides a simple action, it accomplishes more. In order to lead a morally-sound life, action ethics is important to set an example for others to do the same.4.

   4. I see ecosystems existing for the benefit of all species that take part in its daily life. Although humans have indeed impacted pretty much every ecosystem, I think that it is important for us to remember whom it belonged to first- non-human animals. I am a believer in ecocentric ethics; however, accomplishing this in practice in today’s culture is almost impossible. Ecosystems have existed before humans and in many cases some have severely suffered because of us as a species. Although the human impact cannot be ignored, as we are so prevalent, we also must remember there are other species trying to share the same resources. Although humans are supposed to be the “most intelligent” and other things, we cannot figure out how to share evenly with nature. Throughout history, we have always taken more than we actually need, creating too many extinct species, in my opinion. Ecocentrism benefits the non-human animals and plants that depend on their habitat to care for them; in the same way, if we as a species were to adopt this view, I would not doubt that we would also flourish.

   6. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less (selfishness vs. altruism)?In this age, our culture makes each and every one of us want to believe that we are special little snowflakes and that each of us are exponentially more important than the people standing on either side of us. However, in my opinion, my life is worth the same as any other person on this planet. This being said, I think that a certain level of altruism is important, while a level of selfishness should also be present. Don’t get me wrong, I think that selfishness is bad and that we need to care for others as well as ourselves. There is a point, however, where being completely altruistic is harmful to one’s well-being. If everyone were completely altruistic and good, there would be no harm; we all know there are bad people out there, however, and they would not hesitate to take everything one had to offer. By creating a balance in these characteristics, I think that you can achieve the point where you can see how you, your personality, your talents can be used in the right way in this world.

As I was creating this diagram, I really wanted to make sure each of the aspects, environmental degradation, environmental improvement, and social improvement were all highlighted as the main focus. First of all, I chose to color-code these three categories; degradation is red, environmental improvement is yellow and social improvement is green. Also, on the left side, there is a section with an “x” through it; this is what will no longer happen due to the involvement of biogas systems in these communities. I think that the idea of biogas introduced through the video was very interesting and related to our course objectives well. For example, a positive feedback was introduced in the form of cooking without biogas. The families needed wood to make food, however, there was very little wood, and the children had to skip school to find it. Because so much wood was being harvested, the environment was not able to support so many people, but because the children were not receiving enough education, they were not able to move out to the cities to find work. And the trend continued, the social and environmental aspects continuing to become degraded. However, with the addition of biogas, it is hoped that the woods will demonstrate their resiliency and bounce back instead of possibly becoming a new stable state.

In the Marten reading, he strictly divides his diagram between environmental things and social aspects, but in mine, I chose to mix them all together, as it actually is in reality. Although they look different, both of our diagrams include many of the same aspects of both sides

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Hi everyone! My name is Becca Hodge. I am originally from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, which is in Chester County and about 3 hours from State College. I now live here in State College and currently am enrolled in the middle level education program here as a sophomore. I aspire to be a middle school social studies teacher. I am primarily interested in this course because I hope to minor in geography as well as history and special education. I took Geography 010 and 020 last semester and really enjoyed aspects of both human geography and elemental geography. Something interesting about me is that I absolutely love to travel; so far in 2016 I have already been to Nicaragua and am planning to go to Ireland over spring break. I also have seen a great deal of the US, but hope to continue traveling for the rest of my life!

Above all, I am really interested in the impact humans have on the environment and how the surrounding environment has affected humans throughout time. I see a great deal of worth in focusing on sustainable methods of living. After thousands of years of living as if earth is ours for the taking, I know that making people change their habits is going to be really difficult. However, when one looks at the ethics argument, the case for protecting the planet is so much stronger than the “wants” of humanity. In my personal opinion, I believe that if many habits do not change soon, they will be forced to change due to the planet’s destruction. I think that geography is extremely relevant and important in this day and age.