Biodiversity First part of the assignment.

2. In 200-250 words, describe the biodiversity in your hometown and its biggest threats.

Though New York City is known as an extremely populous area, heavily urban/industrialized and the financial powerhouse of the world, it also holds a great variety of habitats and rare wildlife. It’s a very popular stop-over habitat for migratory birds, fish and butterflies and there are many plant and animal species that reside there. Though New York City (Manhattan in particular) is occupied by a vast amount of skyscrapers, it’s also an extremely green city that encompasses many diverse geological areas and open space. The famous undeveloped Central park is known as the iconic recreational green space of the city. This park is home to the famous peregrine falcons as well as almost extinct American elm. Also, once you get out of the heart of New York City, there is much more green life and unaltered ecosystems. A major threat to New York City’s biodiversity, in my opinion, is human population. The growth and boom of New York City’s population brought about the extinction of native plant species in just the last century.

I am from New York City and according to the Nathan World Map of Natural Disasters, my area is more susceptible to tropical cyclones, hailstorms, extra tropical (snowstorms) and based on some of the natural disasters (whether small or disastrous) that I have witnessed, like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, I can say that this map is accurate and well suited for this task. It also shows that my area belongs in zone 3 when it comes to the frequency and intensity of tornadoes but I have personally never experienced this in the city, but I know certain natural disasters are much more severe in other parts of New York State.

From the Hungarian National Association of RSOE and EDIS map, I chose to focus on the earthquake of magnitude 5.4 that occurred in Amahai, Indonesian Archipelago, Indonesia that occurred earlier today. It was classed as a moderately severe earthquake as there were some impacts and effects. The Indonesian population actually felt the ground shaking, some had trouble walking, objects fell and there were slight damages to walls. Based on some research that I did, I found that New York City is not completely immune to the threat of earthquakes, as they have occurred in this region in the past. Earthquakes with a 5.0 magnitude could potentially take place in New York City, they are extremely uncommon though. If a moderately severe earthquake were to occur in the city, it would have some pretty intense consequences considering the population density and the infrastructure, so if this same earthquake in Indonesia had taken place in New York, it could have been fairly disastrous, some lives could have been lost.

One of the biggest natural hazards that New York City faces are severe winter storms, with heavy snow, hail and extremely, below degree weathers. Since moving to New York in 2008, I can not remember recall of a year when there was not at least one day off for the entire city, schools, work places because of the severity of a snowstorm or the weather being way too cold. Hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest and most historical hurricanes of New York caused some pretty great damage to certain areas of the city and New York in general, people’s electricity was cut off, windows were shattered, there were floods, my own high school even got flooded, resulting in 2 weeks of no school.’

I believe one of the best ways of dealing with potential natural hazards in my area or any area for that matter is through education and awareness. A lot of people are not aware of some of the dangerous natural disasters that could one day occur in New York and because of that, we are not prepared for such weathers. People should pay much closer attention to the weather reports and predictions. There should be effective rescue back up plans put in place in case natural hazards occur. Different areas in New York City are affected and respond differently to natural hazards, in some areas, the outcomes are much more severe and dangerous than others. I believe being aware of one’s environment and how vulnerable it is to natural disasters and then planning accordingly would definitely be beneficial. There should also be more homes and buildings with basements that could be used for shelter. One thing I know for sure that I could do is inform the people around me about the weather, the risks through different platforms (social media, telephone etc).

I’m from New York City, an extremely large city in the state of New York in the United States. The neighborhoods in New York differ immensely, you can find an urban-downtown mostly in Manhattan but you can also find the suburbs, which are mostly located in Queens, Long Island. Where I live in New York (Roosevelt Island) is sort of a mixture of the urban and suburban environments. It’s 5 minutes away from Manhattan, there are buildings but there isn’t the chaos of the city, it’s very quiet and completely surrounded by the East River so it’s quite relaxing and beautiful there. The population of New York is of 19.8 million residents making this city the most populous metropolitan area. I absolutely love the city of New York and the fact that I have the chance to live right in the middle of it. I moved to New York when I was 8 years old, from Marseille France, due to my mother’s job as a diplomat and I have not left since (besides coming to Penn State). I’ve gotten very used to the skyscrapers, the fast-paced environment, the cranky pedestrians that are always on a mission no matter what time of the day it is to the point that I sometimes forget that most of the United States is nothing like New   York City. One thing I dislike very much about the city on the other hand, is the fact that it is so polluted; you can walk down the streets of Manhattan and literally just be inhaling toxic air.

The next city that I’m going to talk about is Boston Massachusetts and I chose this city because of the similarities that it shares with New York as well as some small differences. Boston is also a city that incorporates urban, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods (e.g Beacon Hill, Boston, MA) as well as suburban neighborhoods (e.g Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA). One way that it differs to New York City however, is the fact that New York City does not have any Streetcar suburbs. People that live in the suburbs have to walk long distances to the nearest metro station or take a bus to the metro station which also isn’t always too close to people’s homes. This is very beneficial for the city’s environment because less energy is consumed by means of transportation as well as the health of the population. Individuals are forced to not be lazy and exercise when it comes to reaching some of their destinations, even if it’s to the nearest bus stop. New York City should take Boston’s lead and develop more attractive Pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods to motivate people to walk more.

The next city that I’m choosing to focus on is Copenhagen, a small city and the capital of Denmark. I’ve actually been here myself twice and I absolutely adore the way that this city is laid out, driver-friendly but also very much pedestrian and eco-friendly with its car-free streets and slow speed zones. Copenhagen is one of those gorgeous cities in which you actually want to walk in, take the time to observe the land/city scape. Biking is also a very big part of the culture in this city and cyclist don’t have to fear for their lives worrying that a driver might knock them over. This is something that the ultra-busy, packed and fast-paced New York City should definitely copy. It would be amazing if there were more areas in New York where residents could walk around slowly, sit, engage in fun activities or just enjoy the amazing view of the city without all the traffic and chaos. All the changes that Copenhagen has made in order to accommodate its citizens has also led to a more connected and friendly community and simply a better quality of life.

I’m from New York City, where the water source originates from three different major watersheds, the Delaware and Catskill system, East of the Hudson River and Croton system, located north of the city. The next step of this water supply chain is the water traveling from the reservoirs and lakes and into a system of aqueducts and tunnels that are used to further convey the water. The most popular aqueducts are the Catskill Aqueduct, which is 100 years old, extends 92 miles and relies independently on gravity to carry the water and the Delaware Aqueduct, which extends 85 miles and is much newer. The next step, after the water has traveled through these aqueducts is to disinfect it. This takes place the Kensico Reservoir, which is 3 miles north of White Plains in Westchester County, New York. Here the water is treated with fluoride (in order to prevent tooth decay) and is disinfected at what is known to be the world’s largest ultraviolet facility. The UV treatment is used to obliterate harmful microorganisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The final stop the water makes before arriving into homes is in Yonkers, where it is further disinfected. The Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers is critical in this process because it balances daily demand and it also helps by elevating the water so that the force of gravity will be able to push it into homes. Finally, the water is propelled into the city’s 3 main tunnels and distributed in homes.

After conducing this experiment, I realized that the challenge to live on only 2 gallons of water a day is close to impossible for me. I hadn’t realized until I did this experiment that water use is a very important and crucial part of my day. Some of the strategies I used when conducting this activity was only taking one shower that day and brushing my teeth during one of them; I also drank less water than usual and skipped out on washing the dishes for that one day. For things such as toilet flushing or washing my hands, I didn’t really limit myself. My day of living off 2 gallons of water a day completely failed even though I did cut back on the amount I use significantly. When I compare this experiment to my daily use of water, I come to the realization that I really take the amount of water available to me for granted. I could never fully live off such a low amount of water. For the time being, 112.3 gallons per day is the best I can do unless I completely alter my lifestyle. Geography matters to water usage because it dictates how much water is available for populations worldwide.

1. I personally believe that it is more important to be a person who performs good acts because ultimately, if you are that type of person, then it automatically means that you are somewhat a good person yourself. I am a firm believer of the popular saying “Actions speak louder than words”. A person who fights for human rights, animal rights etc. and actually consecrates their time and energy to these causes will always be more believable and respected then the individual that simply speaks, posts Facebook statuses and tweets about these issues and how wrong they are. It’s absolutely amazing and important to have good intentions but to actually go out of your way to perform actions, to start a movement and gather a bunch of people that share similar views is completely admirable. Humans, groups of individuals are able to change the world and I think if more people believed this, then the negative outcomes that the world presents to us would diminish. I say this because I am a good person, rather than being the person that performs good acts and it’s something that I fundamentally want to change about myself.

2. The answer to the question of whether the ends justify the means ultimately depends on what said ends are and the procedures are being used in order to meet these goals. I am a firm believer of people doing whatever it takes in order to achieve their aspirations and success, however, if the way that they going about doing this is dishonest, immoral and negatively impacts other people, then they probably should not be aiming to achieve said goals. I also believe in karma. Lies and other dishonest behaviors that were used in order to achieve a positive outcome will always eventually come to the light at the most unexpected times and will ultimately negatively impact the individual. There is a strong difference between achieving something through some form of competition with a peer and completely sabotaging your peer in order to move up. I believe actions should be performed in an honest, “fair and square” manner.

6. I do not believe that my life or any other life is more important than the next; every life is worth the same and worth saving. We are all important, unique and special individuals in our own way and whether we believe it or not, we were all created the same and for a purpose. Every single one of us has the abilities to contribute to the world in some way, whether it is by saving a life, giving life, fighting for social rights, making somebody’s day more enjoyable etc. and that should not be taken for granted. This is my view on the subject matter with an ethical point of view. On the other hand, when I approach this question in a personal matter, there are lives that will always be more important and worth more than others to me. For example, I believe my mother’s life is worth more than the girl’s who sits next to me in math class. I would risk my own life for my mother’s sake any day but I couldn’t say the same for said girl in my math class. The world has also shown to us that every human life is not worth the same and that some should be valued more than others with atrocious historical events such as slavery, the holocaust, genocides etc.

The main purpose for my diagram and what I was attempting to portray and put an emphasis on the effects (mostly positive) that the biogas generator has had on the Indian population as well as its environment and ecosystem. India is a very large country with a population that is either very wealthy or very impoverished. The video focused on issues that affected poor family households before biogas. These issues include but are not limited to the over-use of firewood to cook, which would produce excessive smoke and cause health disparities for individuals; child labor; children not being able to go to school and get an education because they spend their days helping their mother’s collect firewood; deforestation and pollution; the excessive use of landfills. With the introduction of biogas, a lot of these issues could be resolved or at least reduced. Indian families have healthier and more sustainable livelihoods, with the production of compost and the economic improvement in the country, more job opportunities have become available especially for women. There is less child labor and children are able to acquire more of an education.

My diagram and Gerry Marten’s diagram have a couple of similarities, for example, both of our diagrams portray the effect that biogas has on the social system and the ecosystem of India. Both of our diagrams also briefly focus on labor and deforestation (how the amount of firewood and cooking fuel lead to this). This is because these are two very important topics that come into play when talking about the need for biogas generators in the population. Unlike my diagram, Gerry Marten’s diagram touches upon the effect that biogas generators would have on farm fields. Gerry Marten’s diagram also seems much more general than mine as he focuses on general topics such as the human population, biogas technology, animals and plants etc. and I get more into details without looking at the bigger picture in my diagram. The reason for those specific differences could be due to the fact that I based my acquired knowledge and diagram on a very short 5-minute video that listed details rather than general outcomes. Gerry Marten probably has more background knowledge and context about biogas generators in India. Comparing my diagram to Gerry Marten’s diagram helped me realize and understand that the introduction and use of biogas generators also affects farm fields, animals and plants. That’s something that I briefly overlooked as I was mostly focused on the human population. I also found it interesting how he mentioned that mostly the wealthy in India would benefit from the social and ecological advantages that biogas generators bring, simply because that is what I mostly believed myself. I believe it is something that has the ability to further expand the gap between the rich and the poor in India.

Hi everyone,

My name  is Michele Marie Eyenga, as noted above, I’m a freshman and currently majoring in Political Science and Economics. I’m from New York City but I was originally born in Cameroun, which is a West African country. Only being a friendship, I’m not exactly sure what I see myself doing in the future but Law school is definitely an option. I also love to travel and to blog so a career that could incorporate both of those would be amazing. I chose to take this course because many people in my life that had my major in college and ended up having successful careers all stated that geography definitely helped broaden their knowledge and that it would be an interesting, relevant and eye opening course to take. I’m also interested in learning more about sustainable development, climate change and what us as people and governments are doing or not doing about certain issues.

Something I found extremely interesting about the first module is that from the very beginning, we are introduced to scales and the varying forms that they could be looked at. I believe it’s important to know about issues like deforestation and climate change and how they not only affect our local environments but also the negative global consequences could cause. I believe as humans, we are rather selfish and ignorant and until something really drastic and dangerous happens in their own environment, people tend to forget that heavy pollution, cutting down trees, building oil pipe lines are completely invading, destroying and causing natural disasters in other places around the globe and causing many animals to become instinct. For a very long time, I have always been uncertain about the concept of globalization and how positive of a movement it is and I’m interested to learn more about how it affects nations’ and people’s culture.