I feel that the entire Vanishing Wetlands multimedia presentation is very well laid out, pleasing to the eyes and gets the message out very clearly. I felt that the convergence on most of the stories worked well, and the print stories were picked out well and written well. Personally, the graphics added a lot to the entire presentation. It put things in an easy to understand way, and they were done very well as far as graphics go.
I think that we can use all of the different aspects that they use in recycling. Graphics will be great to display how it works in a quick and easy to understand format. Videos will bring things to real life, and pictures always seem to speak a thousand words, and a photo gallery could be great for a presentation on effects of not recycling. But of course, you need the backbone, the article to sum everything up and make sense out of all of the multimedia presentations.
As far as the mitigation story, I feel that just shows how money and reputation can overcome anything. If they did not have the last name Levin, would things have went their way? But on the other hand, they were the ones with the money, and they are able to do with it as they please. I still think they could have made more of an effort to cater to the environment, such as building them closer instead of building them further apart because they liked “distance” between the condos.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was not the most interesting writer in my opinion, but he did have his moments where he would catch my attention, but he also seemed to wander around at times.
He was a great observer, a naturalist. He always seemed to see things that others did not see, or did not take the time to see. He took amusement in the mouse in his home that was native, not introduced, and how an otter managed to grow to four feet long without a human getting a glimpse of the otter.
He also seemed to have a true, sincere respect and for nature. In Walden:, or Life in the Woods, he shows talks about the “ignorant or reckless” sportsman who leaves the innocent partridges to a fall a pray or decay. He almost takes respect to ownership when he talks about the hens and chickens being his. In Walking, he actually speaks for Nature, and says man is just an inhabitant or a part and parcel of Nature.
I feel that he believes in nature and that it should be respected. He actually says, “I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows.” He even goes further into his belief about nature by saying that the most alive is the wildest and that “all good things are wild and free”.
He comes off as a tree-hugger to me, so I definitely think that there is a place for him in today’s environmental movement, just maybe not one that is mainstream. I feel that he would like everything to go untouched and to be 100% in its natural setting and ways, which today is nearly impossible in certain aspects.
He was a great observer, a naturalist. He always seemed to see things that others did not see, or did not take the time to see. He took amusement in the mouse in his home that was native, not introduced, and how an otter managed to grow to four feet long without a human getting a glimpse of the otter.
He also seemed to have a true, sincere respect and for nature. In Walden:, or Life in the Woods, he shows talks about the “ignorant or reckless” sportsman who leaves the innocent partridges to a fall a pray or decay. He almost takes respect to ownership when he talks about the hens and chickens being his. In Walking, he actually speaks for Nature, and says man is just an inhabitant or a part and parcel of Nature.
I feel that he believes in nature and that it should be respected. He actually says, “I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows.” He even goes further into his belief about nature by saying that the most alive is the wildest and that “all good things are wild and free”.
He comes off as a tree-hugger to me, so I definitely think that there is a place for him in today’s environmental movement, just maybe not one that is mainstream. I feel that he would like everything to go untouched and to be 100% in its natural setting and ways, which today is nearly impossible in certain aspects.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Emerald Coastkeeper
Emerald Coastkeeper may be the best-kept secret in the Pensacola area.
Sure, you have never heard of it, what they have done or what the group is attempting to accomplish, but you have most likely felt the effects of their achievements.
The Emerald Coastkeeper is the local chapter of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national group that is dedicated to connecting local Waterkeeper groups, such as the Emerald Coastkeeper, to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide.
Emerald Coastkeeper is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1999 and serves to protect the fourth largest estuarine system in Florida. With their headquarters in Pensacola, the Emerald Coastkeeper protects from the Perdido Bay to the St. Andrews Bay, as well as many local rivers.
One recent victory for the group went relatively unnoticed.
When CSX Transportation decided to build new railroad tracks through Bayou Texar in Pensacola, the company decided to not remove its creosote, a carcinogenic that is also linked to stomach pains and burning of the mouth and eyes when someone eats food or drinks water that is contaminated with the substance, pilings from the old tracks in an attempt to save money.
Emerald Coastkeeper stepped in and took the company to court and forced CSX to remove the creosote pilings from the water.
Providing a voice for the local waterways comes crucial, and Coastkeeper and marine biologist Taylor Kirschenfeld feels this area needs it now more than ever.
Kirschenfeld gave the local water quality a C grade, and knows there is still work to be done.
“I still think there is a lot of room for improvement,” Kirschenfeld said.
“We don’t have a sophisticated population,” Kirschenfeld said, “they don’t look at the environment; they look at their job and money.”
The water quality of the area is an ongoing issue for the Emerald Coastkeeper, and they have fought for improvements in storm-water runoff and improvements in the sewer and septic systems.
A major obstacle that the group is ready to face upcoming is offshore drilling. The Coastkeeper is strictly opposed to offshore drilling.
The Coastkeeper argues that the benefit of offshore drilling, a slight relief of prices at the gas pump, is not worth the risk of ruining Florida’s tourism-dependent economy and pristine beaches.
The Emerald Coastkeeper is in its tenth year and continues to push forward for the better of the local waterways, donating all profits to current and future missions.
With around 1,000 members, the group is strong, but continues to grow through the help and awareness of the community.
“We keep up with the environment by the eyes and ears of the community,” Kirschenfeld said.
Kirschenfeld recognizes the awareness level is growing in the area, but still wishes that university students would get more vocal, as well as the general public.
“I am jealous of counties that are progressive towards the environment,” Kirschenfeld said.
But when it boils down, he understands that everyone is in the fight for the same thing, the environment.
“It’s here for our enjoyment,” Kirschenfeld said, “and we make sure it doesn’t get used by any one entity.”
Sure, you have never heard of it, what they have done or what the group is attempting to accomplish, but you have most likely felt the effects of their achievements.
The Emerald Coastkeeper is the local chapter of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national group that is dedicated to connecting local Waterkeeper groups, such as the Emerald Coastkeeper, to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide.
Emerald Coastkeeper is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1999 and serves to protect the fourth largest estuarine system in Florida. With their headquarters in Pensacola, the Emerald Coastkeeper protects from the Perdido Bay to the St. Andrews Bay, as well as many local rivers.
One recent victory for the group went relatively unnoticed.
When CSX Transportation decided to build new railroad tracks through Bayou Texar in Pensacola, the company decided to not remove its creosote, a carcinogenic that is also linked to stomach pains and burning of the mouth and eyes when someone eats food or drinks water that is contaminated with the substance, pilings from the old tracks in an attempt to save money.
Emerald Coastkeeper stepped in and took the company to court and forced CSX to remove the creosote pilings from the water.
Providing a voice for the local waterways comes crucial, and Coastkeeper and marine biologist Taylor Kirschenfeld feels this area needs it now more than ever.
Kirschenfeld gave the local water quality a C grade, and knows there is still work to be done.
“I still think there is a lot of room for improvement,” Kirschenfeld said.
“We don’t have a sophisticated population,” Kirschenfeld said, “they don’t look at the environment; they look at their job and money.”
The water quality of the area is an ongoing issue for the Emerald Coastkeeper, and they have fought for improvements in storm-water runoff and improvements in the sewer and septic systems.
A major obstacle that the group is ready to face upcoming is offshore drilling. The Coastkeeper is strictly opposed to offshore drilling.
The Coastkeeper argues that the benefit of offshore drilling, a slight relief of prices at the gas pump, is not worth the risk of ruining Florida’s tourism-dependent economy and pristine beaches.
The Emerald Coastkeeper is in its tenth year and continues to push forward for the better of the local waterways, donating all profits to current and future missions.
With around 1,000 members, the group is strong, but continues to grow through the help and awareness of the community.
“We keep up with the environment by the eyes and ears of the community,” Kirschenfeld said.
Kirschenfeld recognizes the awareness level is growing in the area, but still wishes that university students would get more vocal, as well as the general public.
“I am jealous of counties that are progressive towards the environment,” Kirschenfeld said.
But when it boils down, he understands that everyone is in the fight for the same thing, the environment.
“It’s here for our enjoyment,” Kirschenfeld said, “and we make sure it doesn’t get used by any one entity.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
