Environmental Studies

Week 1:

Chapter 1: Environmental Ethics
Reading this chapter I learned two important concepts in which many may not of been aware of. The first term or concept is environmental justice and the second is environmental racism. According to the book Environmental Studies, environmental justice is defined as having "a goal that ensures that no specific sector of the community is exposed to disproportionate levels of environmental risk based on race or class.
Many people may be asking themselves why would any group be exposed to dangerous toxins more than another and who would allow this? The government does!! This connects to the second concept environmental racism. This is where "intentional practice of siting hazardous waste sites, landfills, incineratoras and polluting industries in or near minority or low income communities."
Reading this chapter I have a better understanding that low income families and minorities have it harder than we all realized. Being in low income families or neighborhood and being a minority life is extremly rough. These areas are populated with people who are not well educated, do not have a lot of money to afford proper healthcare, and inturn they are taken advantage of. The government claims to make efforts to equal the levels in toxins in the community but it is clearly seen that they are aware that many areas are high in toxins and realize that people do become very sick from these conditions and still do not provide any government assistance to these people to help them when they become ill.
Hopefully by reading this everyone will research there communities and find out how much they are being expose to to protect ourselves and loved ones.


Project 1: Environmental Organizations
Wild Spots Foundation: .wildspotsfoundation.org

This website is a great website for lovers of animals especially the many that are on the brink of extinction. This organization mission is to save the habitat of endangered species.

Greenpeace, http://www.greenpeace.org/

This is also a great website and organization. The organization mission statement is "works to connect the worl'ds enviornmentally and socially conscious artist to cause related movements that benefit humanity and the planet alike (http://www.greenpeace.org/).
This organization helps to link all the issue of the enviornoment together. It focus on both local and global.

National Resource Defense Council, http://www.nrdc.org/

This is the organization I choose to be involved with because this organization seems to deal with many if not all the issues that may arise in reference to environment. It discusses the local community, the government envolvement and what is being done to "safeguard the earth." There mission is to "work to sustain life, air, land, and water and defend endangered natural places (http://www.nrdc.org/). This organizations priority is to maintain and improve the world for all and I support them and their cause because I hope that my family for generations to come can experience the beauties of the world instead of having to learn about them like ancient arifacts in books.

I included all 3 websites so that anyone that is interested can look and explore what you can do to help.


South Florida!!!! At Nova Southeastern Univeristy there are many students that are passing around petitions to help save South Florida's national park and the Everglades. The government is trying to change the definition of the word land in the law books so that they will eventually be able to build on these lands. If you are a South Florida voter and a legal citizen contact http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/ or call (866) 779-5513 to protest and fill out petitions to protect these lands. This action needs to be done immediatly these petitions are only valid now through Jan. 25th, 2008! Thank you.

Please feel free to post you comments on anything you have read today!