First Paragraph: Find and describe an ecosystem service that is currently used for anthropogenic reasons. Determine if this ecosystem will continue to provide services for humanity, or if it is in danger because of human activities in the area.

Second Paragraph: Create a diagram of how the ecosystem works and some of the services supplied.

Third Paragraph: If this ecosystem is being destroyed, are there any steps being taken to reduce or reverse the damage that has been done to ecosystem?

1.)  I have chosen to describe the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. This ecosystem once provided many fishing and food opportunities for humanity. The Chesapeake Bay would supply the city with plenty of fish for local populations. This bay was used primarily for anthropogenic reasons and the abundance of fish in the ecosystem provided the ecosystem service. However, the Bay provides just a fraction of the fish compared to the 60’s. This reduction in fish is a product of the human interaction with the ecosystem. In recent years, society has polluted the ecosystem with different nutrients. These nutrients fueled the growth of algae blooms which in result lowered the dissolved oxygen in the water. The fish were no longer able to survive in these conditions, and therefore the ecosystem has struggled to survive with these conditions.

2.)  See the attached Diagram

3.)  The ecosystem is being destroyed in this situation. One of the main steps that is being utilized to protect this ecosystem is to reduce pollution. This is reducing the pollution from nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrient pollutions. This is because the major issue in the Bay is the low BOD levels. These levels are not allowing the fish to survive in the Bay. The nitrogen and phosphorus are the main cause of the low BOD levels. There are several ways that this is being done. It can be as simple as lowering pollution by recycling, but other efforts include using less fertilizer. This is because fertilizer tends to have plenty of nutrients in it that can run off in to the Bay. Other efforts to restore the Bay include planting Bay grasses in the water to try and increase dissolved oxygen levels.

Info on the Chesapeake Bay taken from the website:

“The Bay EcoSystem.” Chesapeake Bay Program. Accessed April 11, 2016. http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem.

The core ideas behind my design is that many of the countries around the world recognize that there is a need for climate change. The problem is that many of the countries around the world are looking for a plan that is best for themselves. This is shown by the United States. The United States opposes the Kyoto protocol because in this protocol the richer countries have binding obligations. This leads the United States to push for the Copenhagen Accord. This accord is more favorable to the United States and some of the richer countries, but hurts many of the poorer countries that are using cheaper fossil fuels for development. This opposition leads to the accord offering some financial aid to some of the poorer countries that would be hit by this accord. The accord promised $30bn in aid to the poorer countries. This led to the Maldives Prime Minister to quickly back the Copenhagen Accord. The U.S. also threatened to cut off discussions with some countries such as Zenawi if they did not sign the accord. The more powerful countries also had several problems in determining how the cuts in emissions would be policed. All of these issues led to a lack of trust between many of the countries that were interested in implementing this accord. This lack of trust then led to many people believing that the Copenhagen Accord was an overall failure. The overall reason for the failure was the lack of trust, and the selfishness of different countries not willing to give up too much to achieve real climate change policies.

I believe the two major concepts that we have covered that apply to the climate change situation are ethics, and the idea of collective action. I think ethics is a major topic in climate change because climate change deals with a lot of what is right and wrong. Most people believe that implementing climate change policies is the right thing to do. However, most countries are selfish and continue to use cheaper fossil fuels to continue to develop countries. This selfishness pushes other countries to act selfishly to remain competitive with other countries. This goes into the ethics topic of altruism vs. selfishness. If all of the countries act in an all altruistic manner then it may be possible to make a dent on climate change. This idea of acting altruistically is very close to the idea of collective action. The entire world needs to work together on these issues to make real changes in the world. I believe the more developed nations need to make the biggest first steps to lead the way for smaller countries. It is for these reasons that I believe the State Department cables should be made public, so everyone can remain informed as to what is going on. I also think that this shows the United States should not be conducting climate change diplomacy in the way that they have been. I think the United States have been too selfish in their diplomacy, and if we want to see real change in the world we need to lead by example and make heavy cuts on our own emissions. The United States needs to make these cuts and then urge other countries to follow in an effort to cut back on the effect that humans have had over the years on the Earth’s climate change.

1. My name is William Graf and I am from Pompano Beach, Florida. This is a town in Southeast Florida, just North of Miami. The biggest threats that we face in this area include hurricanes and sea level rises. There is also a slight risk in the area of a tornado. The Nathan Map is well suited for this task because it does an excellent job of separating the different hazards. The first map is the only one with more than one natural hazard listed. This is because hurricanes are marked in the water regions, and earthquakes are marked in the land regions.  All of the other maps include only one map that is clearly marked for the corresponding natural hazard.

2. For this section I chose to research the biological disaster that is occurring in the states of Wisconsin and Michigan. There is an outbreak of a virus that has caused 17 deaths in the area and there have been 44 people infected. This area is a much larger scale than my hometown, however I think the virus would spread much quicker in the area that I am from. This is because I live in a population dense area where many people constantly interact. There are also plenty of beaches in Florida that seem to serve well to help the spread of biological disasters and various viruses. I think the children in the area would be most vulnerable to this disaster. They are constantly in contact at school and germs are constantly being spread throughout children. They also have lower immune systems and would not be able to fight the outbreak as easily.

3. I have lived in South Florida for over 18 years. The biggest threat of a natural hazard that we face is the threat of a hurricane. I have been through several hurricanes, and my house sustained plenty of damage during Hurricane Wilma. However, after every hurricane passes through the area it seems that the area becomes less vulnerable to the threat of these hurricanes. Wilma destroyed several windows in my house and this event led us to replace all of the windows in our house with hurricane proof windows, doors, and garage doors. The building codes in the area have been revamped to deal with the threat of hurricanes. Houses have better design codes to deal with the threat of water damage, and the potential threats of wind damage [1]. There has also been a major argument over burying powerlines in Florida to prevent the damage to them during Hurricanes. This remains an argument because it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to convert these powerlines to underground lines. [2]

[1]

“Current and Emerging Technologies of Hurricane Protection.” Hurricanes: Science and Society. Accessed March 27, 2016. http://www.hurricanescience.org/society/risk/currentandemergingtech/

[2]

Patel, Julie. “Are You Willing to Pay Thousands to Keep the Power on after a Storm?” Sun Sentinel, June 25, 2011. Accessed March 27, 2016. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-25/business/fl-fpl-underground-lines-20110624_1_power-lines-utility-lines-tamara-tennant.

4. The best way to reduce vulnerability in my hometown is to just keep doing what people have started to do. As mentioned earlier the building codes are constantly changing to further protect buildings from hurricanes. Technology for tracking hurricanes and predicting where a hurricane will hit is constantly improving. I think my hometown has always done well of evacuating areas when there is a severe threat for a hurricane. As long as people continue to follow these codes and remain cautious of the threat of hurricanes and flooding I think the area will continue to become less and less vulnerable to the natural hazard. These actions require everyone in the area to do their part.

I am Will Graf and I am from Pompano Beach, Florida. The area that I am from is very close to the beach, with only one main road through the area. It is easy to get around the area on a bicycle. However I would still consider the area to be an automobile suburb. The population in Pompano Beach is about 100,000 people. The area of Pompano Beach is about 26 square miles. The population is fairly dense because a lot of this area is covered with water. I have lived in Pompano Beach my entire life. There are plenty of neighborhoods in the area, and not a lot of businesses. This allowed me to bike around to several different neighborhoods when I was younger. I still consider the area to be an automobile suburb because the weather in South Florida is usually hot and humid. Many people use automobiles to avoid sweating or walking distances in the heat.

The first city I will compare from the module is the city of Copenhagen. The reason I am choosing to compare these two cities is because the module talks so much about how the city of Copenhagen is very friendly towards bicyclists. The reason I think that these two aspects can be compared is because my neighborhood is very close to the water. On one side there is the beach, and the other side is the intracoastal. This means that only one major road comes into and out of our neighborhood and there is usually heavy traffic on this road. However there is plenty of room on the road for bikes to be operated and it would help both the environment and the flow of traffic if more bikes were used in this area.

The last city I will compare from the module is New York City. The reason that I chose this city to compare is because New York is so close to the water as well. This can be compared to Fort Lauderdale, the adjacent city to Pompano Beach. The reason I will compare this city is because Fort Lauderdale is a little larger and has more access to shipping ports on the ocean. I think this makes it similar to New York, but as stated in the module New York has a much easier route to the center of the United States. This makes New York a much larger city and has a much higher population density. This explains the reason that Fort Lauderdale still utilizes mostly automobiles and New York is able to use walking and a subway system. I think if Fort Lauderdale had easier ways to reach and trade with the center of the United States it would have a much higher population and density.

1.) One thing that I notice when I make choices in buying food is that there are a lot of trends in the food industry. One example of a recent trend that I have seen is that people have made a much bigger issue of buying whole wheat bread vs. white bread. This is becoming a social norm for people that it is healthier, and everyone should focus on buying 100% whole wheat bread. These trends then become social norms. One trend that has affected me and I have seen become more of a social norm is vegetarianism. This trend has been around much longer and still continues to be a popular trend today. I have seen several of my friends try to adapt this diet. I have considered attempting it before, but never go through with it.

2.) Two of the social issues that have contributed to this vegetarianism movement are obesity, and the cruelty that occurs to animal livestock. Many people believe that cutting meat out of their diet is better for their Nutrition. As covered in the module, they believe this decision will help against obesity and lead to healthier nutrition. The better nutrition will then turn into living an all-around healthier lifestyle. The other reason I see people cutting meat out of their diet is because of the issues around the livestock industry. The videos like the ones mentioned in the module cause people to cut out meat from their diet to try and stop the mistreatment of livestock. This trend is still increasing and the awareness of livestock mistreatment is growing.

3.)

1.) http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/trans-jap.html

I chose the case study found on the Colby – Sustainable development page. The case study that I decided to read is titled, “Bicycles as Transportation Policy”. This case study discusses how Japan continues to develop after World War 2 and one of the main reasons for their development is the growing use of bicycles. They have encouraged citizens to ride bikes by making it easier to rent bicycles, and have made it more difficult to travel around by automobile. Japan has a limited geography and has a lack of petroleum. This lack of petroleum makes it hard for Japan to develop, so it is important for citizens to reduce fossil fuel usage.  One of the topics that is covered in the module is how these transportation methods are helping Japan develop economically. Their GDP is increasing and many of the citizens are purchasing automobiles again as the economy develops. The study discusses how it will be difficult to continue to promote bikes as the population wealth increases.

2.) http://www.cgdev.org/page/case-14-curbing-tobacco-use-poland

The site that I was able to find as an external case study was found on the website titled, “Center for Global Development”. The article I found on this page is titled, “CASE 14: Curbing tobacco use in Poland”. This case study discusses a health development in Poland and how the tobacco use in Poland was causing so many problems to their population. The goal of the study was to determine how to reduce the negative impacts of smoking on the population. Poland was able to reduce the tobacco use by 10% by requiring the largest warning labels to be printed, the ban of electronic advertising, and the ban of smoking in certain areas. This case study discusses some of the topics talked about in the module because this case does not show an economic development. This development is for the health of the Polish citizens, and the environment that the Polish citizens live in. This development leads to healthier children and an overall healthier population, which will lead to development in other areas.

3.)

The location I will be comparing these cases to is my hometown of Pompano Beach, Florida. The discussion of promoting bikes in Japan is very similar to what I see in my hometown. This is because I live in a dense area close to the beach in Florida. This allows for bikes to be almost quicker than driving a car. There are also areas that offer bike rentals in the area. However, unlike Japan the city is a larger geographic area and there is still a high demand for cars. My experience in this area tells me it is possible to promote development in health and to cut back on fossil fuels by riding bikes. The second case is very similar to Tobacco in America. This case study shows the movement against smoking over the years. The bans of advertising and smoking in certain places. The tobacco campaign is now putting out advertisements against smoking. There are also products that attempt to offer nicotine without the burning of tobacco.

1A.

Just a quick introduction, my name is William Graf and my hometown is Pompano Beach, Florida. The water and sewer in my area are provided by Pompano Beach Utilities department. The drinking water in this area come from the Biscayne Aquifer. There are 25 wells in Pompano Beach. The water is pumped from the aquifer from different sites to a water treatment plant. The water is then softened, filtered, fluoridated, and disinfected before it is sent to distribution. There are two water treatment plants for these operations. There are also different labs to monitor bacteria and other compound concentrations in the water. Our house used to use a septic tank for some wastewater operations. However in the past decade, these septic tanks are being replaced. The process for wastewater in Pompano now is to pump the collected wastewater to a water treatment plant in the center of Pompano Beach. This system uses gravity to drain the water out of houses, and then a pump to force the water to the treatment plant.

1B.

Brushed teeth 3 times (<1 gallon each)

Washed Hands/Face 6 times (6 gallons)

2 5 minute showers (50 gallons)

7 toilet flushes (3 gallons each, 21 gallons)

12 glasses of water (1 gallon)

1 Dishwasher Load (10 gallons)

Total Water Usage: Approximately 95 gallons

1C.

My main areas of water use in the experiment tend to deal mostly with hygiene and cleaning. While I do drink a fairly decent amount of water during the day if I am exercising my highest areas of consumption are the showers. This is followed by toilet flushes. If I had to prioritize my water use I would put drinking water and water used for cooking at the top of the list. I think this is followed by brushing teeth and washing hands. The bottom of this list would include the shower, toilet flushes, and dishwasher loads. A couple strategies to reduce water consumption include using more paper plates and plastic silverware. These can be discarded after they have been used and do not need to be cleaned in a dishwasher. Also some toilets have an eco-friendly option that use less water to flush. I could also only take one shower a day and cut down on time in the shower. My experiment cut down my water consumption, but I still used around 20 gallons of water in the day. I still drink almost a gallon of water per day and it is almost impossible to survive off only 2 gallons in one day. Geography matters for water use, because geography dictates how much water is available in an area. For example, Pompano Beach sits on top of an aquifer allowing for easy access to water.

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

I have always believed that it is more important to perform good acts instead of just being a good person. I have always believed in the phrase that “Actions speak louder than words”. This phrase explains that actions are the most powerful thing in the world. I think people will always say that they are a good person or that they wanted to do the right thing, but it doesn’t always happen. I think this is the reason why actions are so much more important. I also believe that a truly good person will perform good acts. This topic reminds me of a quote from one of the batman movies, “It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines”. Although this quote is from a superhero movie, I think it is an excellent example on this topic. This quote shows that at the end of the day it’s the actions that we perform that define us. It is for these reasons that I think it is more important to perform good acts and I cannot think of any circumstances where this would change.

Do the ends justify the means (ends ethics vs. means ethics)?

I believe that the ends do justify the means. The reasoning behind this decision is that most of the times the pros (the ends) and cons (the means) of a decision are weighed out before the decision is actually made. An example of this can be shown in the food industries. The ends of this industry is to supply food for thousands of different people across the world. This is obviously a very important task for human life and survival. However, the means can show plenty of ethically wrong decisions. There are videos of animal cruelty to chickens in some poultry factories. These videos are still something many people are willing to look past because the importance of putting food onto the table outweigh the cruelty in these factories. The other side of this decision is that when the ends do not justify the means the decision is usually not made. For example, population control may help the environment in areas such as overpopulation and pollution. However, there has never been a decision made to limit the population in the U.S., because it has been decided that the ends do not justify the means in this circumstance.

Does the process by which decisions are made matter more than the outcomes of these decisions (procedural justice vs. distributive justice)?

I believe that the process by which decisions are made matter more than the outcomes of these decisions. The reason that I believe procedural justice is more important is because the future is unknown. Some decisions have all of the right intentions, but it does not always go according to the plan. One example of this could be considered communism. Communism was created with the intentions of spreading the wealth of a country, so that everyone could enjoy life and live together. However, the actual outcome of this system was totally different. I am not saying that communism is the right decision, but Karl Marx, the creator communism, came up with the idea with good intentions. He wanted to help countries, but he did not account for the greed in some people. Another reason for which the process is more important than the outcomes is because humans have always learned from their mistakes. The failures like communism in Russia have allowed humans to learn from the mistake, so that we do not make the same mistake in the future. These failures allow us to learn from and change the decision making process to avoid negative outcomes in the future.

I created my diagram with the core ideas that there needs to be a demand for change for change to actually happen. In this case there was a demand for new technology to change the use of firewood for cooking stoves in India. This demand was caused by the health issues from the smoke, and also the time required to gather the required amounts of firewood. These concerns can be shown in the social column of the diagram. The ecosystem demanded that firewood be replaced, because this area was running out of available firewood. These problems lead to the demand for the biogas fuel technology or the “Biogas Plant”. This technology solved the problem of the smoke and firewood issues in India, but there was still demand for higher income for women, and also a demand for higher crop quality. This sparked the addition to the biogas plant of being able to collect and sell the biogas sludge as a fertilizer. This then solved the problem of higher income for women, and also increased the crop quality in India. This core idea can be compared to the idea of population vs. carrying capacity. The demand for new technology to support larger and larger populations is constantly increasing. As this demand continues to grow so will the technology and therefore the carrying capacity will continue to grow with the population. I think this diagram is fairly similar to Marten’s but with the exception that his is much more broader. The diagram in this post is designed specifically for the biogas plant where Marten is a much larger scale. Both of the scales show how different aspects of social and ecosystems interact, and how different demands can lead to different technologies and knowledge.

Hello everyone, my name is William Graf and I am currently a senior in Environmental Systems Engineering. This is my last semester at University Park and I will graduate after this semester and hopefully find a career in my hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. I am hoping to use my degree in engineering to go into some form of water management or water treatment career. The climate changes in recent years have caused the sea levels to rise, and some believe that areas like Miami will be underwater in several decades. I am not positive about what to expect in this course. This course is a requirement for my major. I have taken a human geography class in high school and enjoyed that class, so I am expecting a similar experience. Some of my hobbies at Penn State are to play basketball and attend many of the Penn State athletic events.

One of the current issues that I am concerned about is the issue of overpopulation in various parts of the world. It is obvious that in some countries there are too many people in a certain area for safe living conditions. However, I sometimes drive home from school for breaks (Pennsylvania to Florida) and I drive through so many open areas with little to no population. I would be interested in learning more about how the use of some of the topics discussed in lesson 1 would be used for this problem. I would assume that maps of different areas would be able to show some of the highest population densities in the world, and determine if these areas are overpopulated. I think the use of maps and other visualization techniques would be the most effective tools to use to examine this issue, but also the human-environment interactions would have to be examined. These interactions would show if the overpopulation is causing any environmental issues.