Environmental Ethics Artifact #2

PETA

OMG: McDonald's Does The Right Thing

quixoticpedagogue.org

Sustainable Food In Northern Virginia

"In the region nearest to Washington DC there is a vibrant agricultural heritage, and interests in organic farming and food activism are creating strong demand for locally produced and sourced food."


The need for sustainable energy and food in Northern Virginia is quickly growing. Residents and area leaders and pushing a local food production system that reaches wholesale markets. "What was once the province of upscale chefs who tailored their menus to the local harvest is now the procurement strategy of not only chains such as Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and Chipotle, but even the White House and Congress." The food system is planned to increase the market located around Washington, D.C. that expands in other regions. The greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area provides leadership from the United State Department of Agriculture and helps in encourage the rest of the nation to provide sustainable and organic food products. A great example of the leadership is the White House organic vegetable garden or Michelle Obama's Vegetable Garden. This well broadcasted garden provides an example of at home opportunities and the need for organic foods. 

Northern Virginia Sustainable Food

Kahn And Class Discussion

"Thus, our moment is new – never before have the collected mass beings of the planet Earth been so thoroughly threatened with extinction as they are now and never before have so many of us raised this problem consciously and desperately together in the hopes of transforming society towards a better, more peaceable kingdom as a result. And yet, the present does not arise in a vacuum, but rather out of the concreteness of history itself."

After reading this article, it is seen that Kahn is a large supporter of environmental literacy and preservation. He specializes is animal pedagogy and environmental ethics. This article was a lot easier to read than the last one, but the large amount of numbers and statistics made it confusing at times. Kahn attempts to educate the American public with topics of ecology, the environmental movement, and environmental survival. The quote above was interesting to me because it states that the modern American public is so threatened by the imposing environmental issues in today's society. I think it's very accurate when it says that the public is not conscious or aware of the "imposing extinction". I think it's interesting that Kahn says our current efforts are not enough for survival.

Artifact

McShane, K. (2009), Environmental Ethics: An Overview. Philosophy Compass, 4: 407–420. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2009.00206.x

This essay provides an overview of the field of environmental ethics. It sketches the major debates in the field from its inception in the 1970s to today, explaining both the central tenets of the schools of thought within the field and the arguments that have been given for and against them. It describes the main trends within the field as a whole and reviews some of the criticisms that have been offered of prevailing views.

The Climate Movement Takes On Fracking: Interview With Bill McKibben

This article focuses on the new emphasis on hydraulic fracking by environmental groups like 350.org.  Bill McKibben is "part of a push to scale back the oil and gas industry's efforts to expand shale drilling", in this case, the state of Ohio. Fracking has led to water and oil pollution, large water consumption needs, and tremors to the injection of the fracking wastewater into the earth. Ohio Governor Kasich passed a law allowing tracking in state parks in 2011. The USFS then removed 3,000 acres from a federal oil and gas lease sale. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) allowed for 27 new wells in February and 19 new wells in January, adding more drilling and fracking to the state of Ohio. In addition, brine-injection wells are asked to stop drilling to see if they are the reason for 12 earthquakes in a non-siesmically active area. The new bill as of March 2012, known as the Senate Bill 315, would "raise the state's brine disposal fees from five to ten cents on in-state waste and from twenty cents to $1 on out-of-state waste". The govenor of Ohio has also proposed a new 2012 budget to expand prices on the oil and gas industry and cut taxes. It is clear that Ohio governor is attemption to expand fracking with little regulations on state residents. Bill McKibben has now promoted "Don't Frack Ohio" in attempt to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 394ppm to 350ppm.


The Climate Movement Takes On Fracking: Interview With Bill McKibben