1. After looking at a few case studies, I chose to write about the one regarding solid waste management in Ireland. The source of this case study is an article from Colby-Sustainable Development. The problem stated is that solid waste in Ireland has increased tremendously in the past few years and the biggest element is the plastic bags. It says in the case study that supermarkets and stores supplied the people with 1.26 billion plastic bags and only 0.5% of them were recycled. In 2002, the government of Ireland the Plastic Bag Environmental Levy which removed almost all plastic bags and replaced them with cloth or paper bags. This levy reduced the plastic bag consumption about 95%. The case I chose ties in with the lesson because the reduction of plastic bags helped to improve the well-being of the people by developing a better system of bagging.
http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/litter.htm
2. The second case study I have chosen is one about a reforestation program in India. The source I got the article from is Lafarge Worldwide. Deforestation in India has become a huge problem over the years and Lafarge has taken a role in planting trees in areas of India. It says in the case study that Lafarge has planted 70,000 saplings to help the reforestation efforts and that the saplings planted typically have an 80% survival rate. This means that eventually, there will be about 56,000 more trees throughout India. This act allows future generations to have wood for building and the animals would have a larger environment to live in. this ties into the lesson because the whole point of development is to improve the state of society for the future.
http://www.lafarge.com/en/india-a-reforestation-program-support-local-biodiversity-plans
3. Both of the case studies I have chosen can relate to my home town of Kingston, Pennsylvania. Every store you go to gives you a plastic bag when you leave. Since Kingston is a pretty big town, there are many plastic bags that are not recycled properly and go to the land fill. My town would benefit greatly from the use of cloth or paper bags, just like Ireland. The second case study relates to my hometown because there is a place that my friends and I take our vehicles off-roading and it has recently been affected by deforestation. Where there was once many trees surrounding the trail, there is now just open land. This may not seem like a big deal, but if the trees continue to be cut at this rate there will be almost no wooded areas around me. Therefore reforestation developments need to be put into action.
Hey Eric!
My name is Jordan and I am a Poli Sci major.
I really enjoyed your post and the connection that you brought to your hometown. In Los Angeles, where I live, the government passed new legislation banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. Now when I go to the grocery I have two options..remember to bring my reusable bags! or you have the option of getting paper bags. However, if you get paper bags they cost you 10 cents per bag! I was a fan of the legislation when it passed and am eager to see what kind of research they put out once the new law has been in effect for a while. In the meantime, I will keep trying to remember my reusable bags, its harder than you think —even when they’re permanently in my trunk!
Check out my post: http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/25/good-agriculture…ught-in-ethiopia/
-Jordan
Hi Eric,
I really liked your post and it interested me because I recently was a part of a discussion where plastic bags was a big part of the conversation. I agree that we use a lot of plastic bags, and plastic in general. I have hopes that in the future we can all use reusable bags because I think that this would greatly help to have positive development. Also, it is very sad to me that trees keep getting cut down because this destroys habitats, and life cycles for certain organisms. If you are interested in my blog here is the link: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/25/diseases-not-linked-with-developednondeveloped/
Hi Eric! My name is Julie, and I am and Early Childhood Education major! In my post, I talked about the abundance of using bicycles as transportation in Japan and the negative outcomes the Marcopper Mining Corporation caused in the Philippines. The first case study you described is interesting because in my area (Scranton, PA), I always see plastic bags everywhere (parks, parking lots, walking trails, etc) as if no one made an attempt to recycle them! As for your second case study, I think that it’s great that Larfarge is replanting trees because this provides a home for future generations or organisms, and even helps humans because we need trees (i.e. for oxygen)! Lastly, I live15 minutes from Kingston, and I noticed plastic bags everywhere and trees being cut down (i.e. to build new restaurant chains). Here is a link to my post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/25/bicycle-usage-in-japan-marcopper-mining-corporation/ .