Good evening everyone, my name is Ian Duchene. I am currently a junior at Penn State Behrend studying Plastics Engineering Technology. I am from Rochester, Pennsylvania, a small town North of Pittsburgh right where the Ohio River and Beaver River intersect. Rochester, PA holds an incredibly special place in my heart as the entire town has shaped me to become the person I am today. I currently reside in Rochester, New York (Ironic, I know) as I am employed as a full time Co-op at Bausch & Lomb. Upon graduation I hope to make a career in the snowboard industry developing new products such as snowboards, boots, bindings, and helmets. Snowboarding is a passion of mine and I hope to leave my mark on the sport anyway I possibly can. From this course I look forward to exploring parts of geography I had never thought of before based on your posts and the modules provided. I am very interested to learn about the affect that humans have on geography because as the human population continues to grow many turn a blind eye to what is happening to the world around them as a result, myself included.
Human-environment interaction is what stood out to me the most. Since I am following a career path that directly correlates to the environment and that many fear harms the environment the most. To me it is important to pay close attention to how geography and landmasses are impacted by the production and consumption of plastics. Many people are pushing towards biodegradable polymers or “green” polymers in order to limit the negative influence that polymers have on the planet. An aspect to these types of polymers that is often overlooked is the raw materials that it will take to produce them predominantly corn. If the change is made it may cause a more positive impact on our planet at the end of a plastic bottles life, but what about the resources used to produce that same bottle? How will it impact sustainability of both food resources and polymer resources? Overall, it may seem like a beneficial substitute but may have negative consequences elsewhere in the ecosystem.
Hi Ian,
I am Laurene. I also hold the small town in Pennsylvania where I grew up close to my heart. Having a strong connection to the place where I grew up has lead me to understand and greater appreciate the places I travel to around the world.
I agree with Justin, your major is interesting! To first find your passion, then to aspire and shape a career out of it is a challenge. I wish you luck!
I have some similarities to what you discussed in your post. As a minor of geography and environment and society studies I am very interested in human-environmental interactions. Since learning about sustainable practices in South America I have made it my passion to learn more on the topic. I like to understand the factors involved in why some individuals care about their impact, and others do not. I agree as the population increases many people fail to notice their effect on the earth and how that impact comes back around to affect them and others around the world. I have studied consumerism and am intrigued that you can focus on plastic alone. The impact of plastic is huge on society! It is sad that many people do not notice it’s impact and over look the use of plastic. I like that you consider the negative consequences of the production of biodegradable materials rather than just the output. I did not know that the raw material is predominately corn, but I am not surprised. The commodity of corn seems to largely impact other commodities such as cattle and fuel.
I wonder, what changes would you make to develop new products in the snowboard industry?
I am sorry I forgot to include a link to my blog! You can access my perspective on sustainability and global issues below.
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/01/14/laurene1/
Hello Ian
My name is Justin and I’m a sophomore at Penn State University Park. Also, I am Studying environmental systems engineering. I find your major to very interesting, especially your interest with it in the snowboarding industry. I’ve been snowboarding for nearly half my life so there is some jealousy at the fact that you plan on working in that industry. lastly, your mention of biodegradable polymers sounds very fascinating to me. check out my post if you are interested: https://sites.psu.edu/geog30/wp-admin/post.php?post=41751&action=edit