For this learning activity pick two threats to biodiversity that are seen in you local community. Describe what they are, and what can be done to prevent loss of biodiversity. Finally, compare the scale of the threats in your community to the bigger scale of the world.

I am from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is a small rural town in Central Pennsylvania. Here there is a sufficient amount of biodiversity due to the habitat provided by the area. However, there are threats to the biodiversity in this area.

Two major threats to biodiversity in Huntingdon are the logging being done for farming and housing development due to more people moving into the area.  The nice wooded areas are quickly diminishing as local farms are expanding. With logging being done, habitat loss is occurring and the local wildlife are losing the areas that they lived in. With more people moving into the area more houses are being built in other areas that are being logged. With a greater human population in the local community theres is going to be a greater impact on the biodiversity in the area.

In order to prevent loss further loss of biodiversity in my local community many steps can be done. The first is farmers could consider a way of expanding that doesn’t involve logging our local woods. Also the neighbors of these farms could refuse to sell their land to the farmers in order to preserve the woodland located there. It is hard however to stop people from moving into the community, but there are still ways that these people could move here without causing such an impact on the environment. The first option is for these people to buy a house that is for sale rather than building a new one in a growing housing development.

Due to the small town nature of Huntingdon, the scale of loss of biodiversity is happening on a much, much smaller scale than other places in the world. Even with new people moving into the community the population is very small compared to major cities. Also logging one acre of land versus an entire forest is also insignificant. However, when taking into consideration how often the small scale threats occur they add together and become much more significant.

In my diagram I started with the soul issue behind this entire article and that was climate change and the increase in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution. Due to the potential threats of climate change and the warming of Earth’s surface attempts have been made in order to try and minimize the amount of greenhouse gas emissions made by each country. One of these attempts was the Copenhagen Accord which was strongly supported by the United States. However, trying to get everybody to agree on one thing is quite challenging and of course not every country was on board with this idea. That lead to the use of  secret cables seeking intelligent life by the United States in effort to attempt to manipulate these countries that did not support the Copenhagen Accord to support the Copenhagen Accord. WikiLeaks exposed the United States which lead to a distrust and other controversies. In the end despite all of the doubts there were still 140 countries  supporting the Copenhagen Accord along side the United States. I felt these were the main points of the article and the order that they went in. Resulting in my diagram looking the way it does.

Before this class I was not very knowledgable on the idea of climate change and did not see understand how serious it actually is. In order to sustain life on Earth collective action needs to be taken around the world. Although the United States might have been wrong in the way they went about trying to get other countries to support the Copenhagen Accord, they had the best interest of other countries in mind. Therefore I also believe that the mistakes the United States made should not have been made public. There are better ways though to start a movement and I think the United States should have done so by showing the steps they are taking to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas they emit. I believe the United States need to be more of a leader in this cause and start taking bigger steps in lowering our greenhouse gas emissions considering we are one of the largest contributors to it. Previous lessons have taught that there are smaller communities in the United States taking steps to more sustainable living, like the cities that are made to walk rather than drive or take public transportation. There are also individuals that grow their own vegetables in cities which helps to filter the air, provides healthier nutrition, and decreases the miles that food travels to end up in local grocery stores. If steps like this were made all over the country there would be significantly less greenhouse gas emissions from the United States. The United States could then take their success and show it to other countries in order to make them want to reduce their emissions too.

I grew up in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, a small town in Central PA. Here we have four seasons which as I learned in the lesson is not a hazardous thing. However we are susceptible to many different hazards, but more so on the middle part of the severity scale. Due to having a cold winter Huntingdon is at risk for winter storms just this past winter there was a snow storm and Huntingdon got 24 inches of snow. There are also hail storms that occur here. Although we do have hot summers, Huntingdon has a low risk of wildfires. Huntingdon also has a low risk of tornadoes. This map is somewhat useful for this assignment but due to it being a global map it is hard to be accurate while trying to read it. (133)

I read about an earthquake that happened March 30, 2016 at 9:57 in the morning in Hunter, Oklahoma. The earthquake had a magnitude of 3.8 and a depth of five kilometers. Huntingdon is not as likely to experience an earthquake as Oklahoma. However, when I was in high school there was a day during soccer preseason that Huntingdon felt the aftershock of an earthquake that happened somewhere else. It was not by any means a serious or hazardous event and in fact many people did not even notice it. Huntingdon is probably highly vulnerable to an earthquake though, because of the fact that they do not really happen here. If  a serious one were to happen it would probably do some major damage due to the lack of preparedness we are for one. This event was only “micro” therefore there was very little or no damage done which was the outcome of Huntingdon’s shock waves. If there ever was an extreme event to happen in Huntingdon there could be serious damage and it could affect many people. Huntingdon as a whole is part of the lower middle class, with many people in poverty. If an extreme event were to hit Huntingdon it could potentially have long term effects on some families. (213)

In my life there have been only a few natural hazards that Huntingdon has faced. I do remember Hurricane Sandy, some major floods, the earthquake, and this year’s snow storm. Floods occur fairly often here considering Huntingdon has several small creeks and streams. Due to this Hurricane Sandy did some damage although nothing to major. I remember in my yard there being a couple trees down and a bunch of branches and debris throughout it. The earthquake was in a way a fluke thing and not really an actual earth quake but more of shock waves. I honestly do not think there will ever be another quake in Huntingdon.

Resources: My experience and my mom’s memories (113)

Huntingdon could be better prepared for these types of natural disasters. I first think there could be a better emergency response system than the one that is currently used. Although our fire fighters and EMTs are amazing at what they do, due to the size of our county the rural areas do not have an efficient emergency response team. When the ambulance had to be called to my house in the past it took 20 to 30 minutes for it to arrive. I do not know how this could be changed other than having more response teams. Personally I could help by making sure I am always fully prepared for these natural disasters and to take the warnings on the weather channel seriously.

I grew up in Huntingdon which is a small town in central Pennsylvania about 25 minutes away from campus. I live out of downtown Huntingdon though in McAlevy’s Fort. McAlevy’s Fort is an automobile suburb while downtown Huntingdon is a combination of a pedestrian-oriented an automobile suburb. In town some people choose to walk and do not own cars, however the major of the population does own cars and drives everywhere. Huntingdon is home to just over 7,000 people. This is the town that I grew up in and I loved growing up in a small town. However, I do feel it can be rather wasteful how we do not have a bus system and so very few people walk to the places that are easily accessible on foot. In that case I feel this town is not as sustainable as it could be.

Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusettes is a city known for walking where the residents there rarely own vehicles. I think Huntingdon could learn a lot from this sustainable city. Due to the residents here walking and owning bikes they save a lot of money by not owning cars and paying for gas and car insurance. If more residents in Huntingdon walked everywhere they would boost their family’s monetary status. Another thing Huntingdon can learn is the effects of walking everywhere versus driving. The people of Beacon Hill are exceptionally healthy from the amount of exercise they get. If the people of Huntingdon would start walking or biking they would also see health benefits. I know walking and biking isn’t the ideal option for the people that work out of town but for the people that do live and work downtown walking and biking could be a highly beneficial life style change that could boost the sustainability of Huntingdon.

Chicago is another city Huntingdon could learn a lot from. Urban agriculture has become rather popular and seen in Chicago as a way to make the city more sustainable. Although there is a lot of agriculture already prevalent in the rural parts of Huntingdon, the residents of downtown Huntingdon could benefit from growing their own produce. Growing their own food on their porches in hanging baskets, or using a small portion of their yard would go a long way in saving residents here money on their grocery bill and helping them to eat better. It would also help to clean the air from all of the solution from the cars driving through downtown. Gardening has also been known for relieving stress. Finally the residents that choose to sell their produce could also make money from this. There are lots of benefits to Urban Agriculture and Huntingdon could learn a lot from Chicago’s example.

When I was little I hated to attend birthday parties. I was the weird friend that didn’t like cake or ice cream, but cake and ice cream were part of the cultural meaning and social norm of a birthday party. These two foods always made me so sick when I ate them, but regardless of knowing that I would get sick I still ate them because I felt rude to turn them down. Now however, I know that I am lactose intolerant and allergic to egg yolks due to this I have to be cautious of my food choices. Now when I attend birthday parties I bring my own special cake that way I can partake in the celebration without having to get sick or feel rude for turning down the cake provided by the host.

Due to being lactose intolerant and allergic to egg yolks my food choices are different from many others. I often get asked if I’m vegetarian when my friends see me buying almond milk. However, I am not vegetarian. I still eat meat. I just do not consume dairy or eggs. I feel like the social norm should be to eat what ever makes someone happy and there should be no judgement based on their decision. If someone wants to be a vegetarian or vegan then they can, and if someone wants to eat meat let them eat meat. My diet is restricted due to medical reasons and because of that my food choices are different than other people’s but that shouldn’t be considered a bad thing, it should just be part of the social norm that I choose to eat what makes me happy and what makes me feel good.

In India there is a case study known as the The Narmada Valley Dam Projects. (http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/Jones/narmada.html). This is the largest river development scheme in India with the purpose of irrigation, power production, and flood control. However, with these beneficial consequences in mind, there are more negative consequences that follow. In order for this project to be completed people are going to be forced off of their homelands along with the extensive loss of forests and agriculture land. The benefits of the power dam are also questionable. The power used to run the dam will be more than what the dam will produce. Due to the climate the dam will have to be emptied during monsoon season in order to avoid flooding. If the dam is empty there will be no water left to irrigate with. This case study shows how a project with good intentions leads to more negative consequences than positive ones all of which are at the cost of people and the environment.

Here in the United States there was an environmental study about the plastic micro beads in face wash. (http://www.refinery29.com/2016/01/100202/microbeads-beauty-products-environmental-effects). The results of this study came as a shock to many people, because how could something so small be so bad. Well, not only were these little beads polluting our water systems and being ingested by fish. They were also involuntarily being ingested by us. Due to the fish eating these plastic beads the pollutants from the plastic would be in the fish, and then we would eat these fish with plastic in them. So not only are we indirectly eating plastic, we are also doing more damage to fish which are already a limited resource. In order to resolve this issue Obama has passed a law banning the use of these beads in facial wash.

I live in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania and we have a large recreational lake known as Lake Raystown. This lake was man made by the building of a dam. Just like in the India case study in order to build this dam several local families had to move and many acres of farm land were lost. The ban on the facial wash although it might not have research on how it affects my local area, due to my personal use of these products the effects are more than likely prevalent in my local streams. I have stopped using these products after I learned about their affects though. In order to advance development in my local community they could add new attractions to the lake in order to draw more tourists and therefore create more jobs, and bring in more money to the local economy, which in turn would lead to development else where in the community. 

My family has a well as our system for water. The well is dug into the ground with a cleaning and pump system that allows for the water to be cleaned and pumped in the house. Rain and groundwater is our main source of water. We live on the side of a hill so as the water flows down  towards the creek it fills the well and restores our water supply. Our waste water then goes down the drain and flows into our septic tank. Here the water separates into three layers that includes a bottom layer of sludge, middle layer of water and a top layer of scum. The septic tank then releases the clean layer of water back  into the ground.

Water Usage for One Day

2 showers: 25 gallons

Brushing teeth 3x a day: 1/2 gallon

Dishes: 3 gallons

3 bottles of water: 1/2 gallon

Washing hands 9x: 3.5 gallons

Flushing Toilet 7x: 6 gallons

For my experiment I tried to cut back the amount of water I used in the shower, flushing the toilet, doing the dishes, and brushing my teeth. The amount of water I drank, and used to wash my hands were kept at about the same, due to simply needed to stay hydrated and to avoid getting sick. Instead if taking two showers today I only took one in the morning and skipped my shower before bed. I also only did the dishes once rather than multiple times through out the day and instead of leaving the water running I filled the sink only half way full and rinsed multiple dishes at the same time. While brushing my teeth instead of wetting my tooth brush before and after I add the tooth paste i just put the tooth paste on and only used water to rinse my brush off at the end. My personal experience of living on only two gallons of water was a complete fail. My only shower for the day even if it was shorter than my normal showers and only once a day instead of twice still used most of my allotted two gallons. This experiment made me feel more self conscious about the amount of water I was using. In the part of tracking I did not really think about how much I used, because it felt normal until I realized how wasteful I was like I did in this experiment. Geography plays a role in water usage, because if you live in an area where clean water is easily accessible you will use it, but if you live in an area without clean water you wont use it as much. 

1. Is it more important to be a good person or preform good acts?

I think these two concepts, virtue ethics; what we should be, and action ethics; what we should do, go hand in hand. However, I feel that it is more important to preform good acts. The quote, “actions speak louder than words” is in a way supportive of this. Anyone can say they are a good person, but until they actively go out into society and show that they are a good person, being a good person is not important. Therefore the people that do not necessarily come out and say that they are a good person but are constantly volunteering in the community, or helping others every chance they get are known as good people. So in order to be good a person has to do good.

3. Does the process of how decisions are made matter more than the outcomes of these decisions?

Distributive justice is described as the emphasis on the consequences of decisions across a population, while Procedural justice is described as focussing on how these decisions were made. I personally feel that how the decision was made out weighs the distributive justice. If a person or group of people have to make a major decision and while trying to make that decision they consider their options and the consequences of their options before they make it then they are doing their best to make the best decision with as little negative effects as possible. If there is some how an effect that was unforeseen then they should be able to be forgiven. However, if someone makes a decision without consulting others, or considering the effects then they should be held responsible for any negative consequences to come. Again the ideas of distributive and procedural justice go together, but the procedural matters more than the distributive.

6. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less?

Altruism and selfishness are at the heart of this question. However, I feel that this is a tough question to answer. In reality my life is just as important as every other life on this planet. Different situations bring out different responses. For example, my boss’s granddaughter who is three years old is at the end of her battle with cancer. She is the sweetest and happiest little girl I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and if there was anyway I could switch places with her I would. Not because I want to die, but because she deserves to grow up and live a life just like every other child does. In that case I would consider my life to be less important than hers. I do not think my life has ever been or will ever be more important than someone else’s though. I think everyone is here for a reason and those reasons are equally as important. Therefore, I think I’m more of an altruistic person and believe in selflessness versus selfishness.

In the clip we watched their main focus was on what was having a negative effect on their society and ecosystem and how they were able to solve this. So I reflected their main focus of what caused a positive effect and what caused a negative effect on their society. The main social ideas they mentioned in the clip were Health, child labor, education, and jobs and revenue. There was also some focus points mentioned in the clip that had to deal with the ecosystem and they were the biogas systems, composting, the use of cow dung, crop production, and firewood. These main ideas all were interconnected with each other and had either effects that increased or decreased the other. The diagram from the reading was both very similar and also very different from my own. This diagram, like mine, had interconnections between the main two categories. However, it was also very different from mine, because there was not  crossover effects between the two main categories. For example in my diagram, firewood from the ecosystem side had an effect on health from the social side of the diagram. These similarities and differences exits, because the graphs both contain social interactions and interactions within an ecosystem, and regardless of the the specific focus of the diagram there is always going to cross interactions between the two, because humans are constantly interacting with the Earth and the Earth is constantly interacting with humans. These Diagrams provide a visual of the interactions between humans and the environment, from this visual we can learn about the continuous effects these two systems have on one another and how they create a system together.

Hello GEOG30 my name is Mary, but everyone calls me Katie. I’m a sophomore here at Penn State and am majoring in Early Childhood education with a minor in special education in hopes of becoming a first, second, or third grade teacher. I hope to move south after I graduate and teach in either Alabama or South Carolina. However, I currently live in Huntingdon and commute to the University Park campus. I was born and raised in Huntingdon which is a small town not far from State college. I am taking this course to satisfy a general education requirement for my major.

I think global climate change is an important topic to study in geography. Not only does it affect areas like the north pole, it has effects on a global scale. Research being done now could help save the planet we call home. If everybody found ways to reduce their carbon footprint it would make a huge difference in the future. I find this topic very interesting and am excited to learn more  about it this semester.