Sze Tsung Leong - www.szetsungleong.com - From the series Cities. Cities is a series depicting urban fabrics throughout the world. Differences, parallels, and variations between built environments are revealed through consistent composition and viewpoint. Disparate locations are juxtaposed and a new geography is outlined.
The article I choose to write about was titled “Doing the Right Thing Can be Delicious” on page 51. In summary, this article discussed how though the industrial revolution did increase our food production and allowed us to feed more people quicker, there was also a negative aspect that came from this spark. From speedy, sustainable farming came conventional food which, is fruits and vegetables that are treated with chemicals to make the produce grow quicker, and protect them from bugs and insects more easily. Whereas, organic produce is grown in a healthier, natural way that allows for the products to even be more nutritious; the downside is the process takes longer because the farmers put more time and care into what they are growing. Well, from convectional food, the idea of producing food quickly and eating quickly came along which is why fast food restaurants such as McDonalds was created; to satisfy the need to have food almost instantly. It seems like people are almost being lazy with this; instead of taking their time to prepare their own food they just want food now. Also, I believe that the more fast food/high calorie low nutrient foods people eat, the more accustomed to the taste of this type of food people become and they then become addicted to the flavor. Daily, in America we make double the amount of calories a person would need to consume in a daily dosage. And this is due to the amount of extra chemicals, sugar, and sodium, which is all, packed with tons of calories and nothing good for you that factories and fast food restaurants mix into their food to give it the desired taste that people have become addicted to. Big industries don’t care about an individual’s health, just fulfilling the world’s needs and guilty pleasures so they can make money and I really wish Americans didn’t buy into this but clearly we have. -brynn kurlan
ReplyDeleteFor my world changing article I read “Rethinking Refugee Reconstruction.” I found this section very moving especially since I have been interested and moved by the genocide in Darfur and in my lifetime I have seen environmental damage wipe out land communities. I found it interesting that studies showed that after disasters occur it is best to get kids on a regular schedule and begin education. I thought rebuilding would be the first step, however education provides stabilization and keeps children from further mental damage.
ReplyDeleteI also found the Freeplay story very motivating. To refer back to Jenson’s article on hope, I think the radio helps people build hope for a better future. It is also a great technology to bring a community together. I was not aware that in order for women in Darfur to cook they needed a great supply of wood. Better fuel efficient stoves will help save these women time, keep them safer and cook more food. I think the most important thing to do to help these disaster places is to bring the people together. Whether its through technology or education the more we bring groups of people together the stronger a support system will be created which will eventually lead to a successful reconstruction. Hopefully simple things like a radio will begin this process.
The article I found very interesting and chose to write about is called, “Conserving Water.” I found this article to be of great significance other than interesting. This article brings up some small and different suggestions in order to conserve our water. Of course we all know things such as not letting the water run when not in use, take shorter showers, and to not use more water than actually need. However, here are a few other things we can do that can help us save our water. One thing mentioned was to use low-flow water fixtures. They are not as bad as some people think. For example, in the article it says that the low-flow showerheads give out less water but, because of the forcing air into the water flow, they still produce strong enough pressure. It was very interesting to read that we would save approximately 5.4 billion gallons of water a day if every American household installed low-flow fixtures and toilets. That is an overly significant amount of water that can be conserved. Another tidbit for saving water is design student Peter Brewins, creation of a shower that recycles water. Instead of constantly telling people to take shorter showers, we found another way for you to save water while still taking your nice long shower. The way this shower works is that it immediately recycles the water that goes down the drain and thoroughly cleans it, then sends it back through the showerhead. By following any of these simple and harmless ideas, would be conserving a great deal amount of water, which would be better for everyone.
ReplyDeleteA response to “Educating Girls and Empowering Women.” P.316
ReplyDeleteThe UN is trying to get all girls into school at a young age; however, this means trying to change the ideals and customs of other countries. For some countries, the government will target the mother and try to encourage her to let the daughters go to school. Given that the country is probably a patriarchy society then wouldn’t the father would have more say in the matter? How about teaching the males of that society at a young age that women are their equals? I do see how it would be harder to convince the male members of the society but at a young age, people are more likely to be influenced.
One thing that really struck me and made me cry about time was helping women through their hairstylist. This idea shows a lot of thought that went behind trying to target women. Trying to deal with abuse is extremely difficult. Telling close friends and family members can be even more difficult because they are apart of your daily life, which means a lot of interference in a problem that the woman is struggling with.
Family members and friends will barge into the problem and make the choice for the woman to leave the abuser with out her having a say. This lack of choice can lead to a lot of frustration for women and make them possibly defend their abuser. Telling someone that doesn’t really know you but seems friendly enough to talk to can be a great influence; however, the friendly stranger does have to know how to attack the situation tactfully. This leads to the training of friendly hairstylists to help abused women as a great asset.
Buying Better Food:
ReplyDeleteI recently became a vegetarian (with the exception of bacon and hot dogs, so not really but really), and it all started when one of my best friends turned vegetarian and then handed me a book titled Skinny Bitch. This book was full of reasons to be grossed out by a list of food products, especially meat and dairy products. However, through reading this book, I was only lured in by which foods are healthy and which foods will make you gain 20 pounds in one sitting. I wasn’t particularly paying attention to where the best places to purchase your food are. However, “Buying Better Food” in World Changing has me well-informed of the best ways and places to get the healthier stuff.
First and foremost, it describes that buying food local to home is the better route. This being simply because it is clear where the food products are coming from – right down the street, and not a thousand miles across the country where it could be mixed with exhaust and chemicals and pesticides to keep it in tact. Next, the author states that “buying together” is another key option to getting healthier foods. In this he explains how a food co-op works, which is actually something I was not aware of. In a food co-op, the community has a say in what products get put on the shelves at a grocery store.
Another point that stood out to me is that the author expresses to buy directly from your local farmer. He talks about participating in community-supported agriculture (CSA), which is actually something my mother does. Every week, she drives up to Farmer’s Market to collect her “box.” It’s great for people who don’t have the time to cultivate their own garden. However, sometimes the “boxes” contain so much food that it’s only worth it for a larger families to participate. I see this problem occurring in my own home. Sometimes there will be so many vegetables that it seems like it would take months to eat them all. The author also suggested it might be possible to participate every other week, giving the smaller families time to eat up.
I chose to read “Building a Green Home” (p.147) and “Living Well in Compact Spaces” (p.152) as I thought it would fit well with critiquing the photo attached to this week’s thread. These readings fit well with the photo, as the photo shows a dark and dreary urban residential complex in the foreground with glistening high-rises behind them. It looks as if this city is going through a transformation. This possible change opens up a great chance to implement green design. Apartments and condos in urban cities are ideally sustainable places to live. Most of the time, one does not need a car as public transportation can get a person to their job, restaurants, grocery stores and more. The problem arises when these large complexes are made with little or no thought of sustainable living. Instead of being an eyesore in a city, such buildings can be attractions. Green roofs reduce storm water runoff, provide insulation and a place for gardens, and are aesthetically beautiful parts of buildings. In addition to green roofs, green plants can grow on the side of the houses, lessening the effect of the ‘concrete jungle.’ Ivy and other foliage provide insulation and shade in the summer and again help the buildings look nicer.
ReplyDeleteNew high-rises need to include sustainable practices on the inside in addition to external changes. They can either be large users of energy, or they can be an epitome of sustainable design. Smart technology allows for all of the appliances in a home to be controlled. This means that lights can be turned off or water heaters can be turned down from a central control panel when leaving the house. In addition, such systems can monitor for fire, floods, and link to security systems, which save landlords money in the long-run. In addition to conserving energy, they can employ alternative energy, such as geothermal or solar, meaning electricity and natural gas costs are reduced and can actually make money for the building.
The obstacle for many of these innovations to be implemented is cost, especially when it comes to me wanting to live sustainably. It is impractical for me to put up solar panels on an apartment that I rent for only a year, or invest in appliances that can connect to a smart system. For landlords, there is rarely an incentive to invest in such technologies as it is usually the renters that bear the brunt of poor insulation, old appliances, and outdated heating and cooling systems as they pay the utility bills. Therefore, there needs to be more of a push to make landlords want to own sustainable buildings. This can be done through taxing of energy hogging appliances or even whole buildings, or continued incentives for buying Energy Star electronics. We don’t need to look to the future to hope for better technology that reduces our use of fossil fuels; the innovations are already here, we simply need to invest in them and start implementing their large-scale use.
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ReplyDeleteTo continue with the readings that we had for this week, I decided to read a chapter on food. "Buying Better Food". As I mentioned in one of the other posts, my sister is a vegan. When she first started out though, she was only vegeterian for about three years. Just because she didn’t eat meat, didn’t mean that she had a healthy diet. For the first three or four months all my sister was eating was cheese pizza chips and other unhealthy snack foods. My mom quickly realizsed that she didn’t want my sister to have such an unhealthy diet and started making her eat mostly vegtables.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter on buying better foods the first thing that it talks about is buying local foods. This past week, or maybe two weeks ago was the Ann Arbor Homegrown Festival. This is a perfect opportunity in our own back yard to check out local foods. The fest is once a year and they have bands and other activites while you get to taste some of the things grown around Ann Arbor.
Another thing that it suggested was to buy from co-ops. I had never heared of this before, but after talking to my mom about it. ( I have a pretty big family) We already belong to a small co-op community where we get our dairy products.
Also when buying things, I found out that you have to pay more attention to what the ingrediants are in the foods, not just whats on the front of the label. You shouldn’t pick a product just because it has organic in the name. The chapter didn’t talk about what you should look for, that are bad ingrediants. But after more research and sitting in on lecture today, some of them to watchout for are glucose, and fructose. Fertilizers and other things can make the food not organtic. One of the best ways to get organic, is to buy local, and just ask questions.
‘Cars and Fuel’ page 74
ReplyDeleteThe article ‘Cars and Fuel’ discusses the imminent problems that the auto industry will face once oil resources become increasingly sparse, and what can be done to make sure this burden isn’t passed on to consumers and commuters.
The idea behind what is known as Hubbert’s peak, which describes ‘peak oil,’ has been the backbone to many arguments for the development of alternative vehicle fuel sources. I know it has been something that has been taught to me for many years in various classes. As the article mentions, the fact that we don’t know precisely how much oil resources we have left is a scary thought. Although, I think it is also a good thing for the development of alternative fuels. Not knowing how soon the world’s oil will be completely depleted creates a sense of urgency, thus hopefully quickening the research and development process.
I really feel that the quick production and sale of hybrid vehicles will be key in transitioning society from a dependence upon oil to utilization of a renewable or less harmful fuel source. The technology for a completely electric car just isn’t there yet, but it also does not make sense to keep business as usual when it comes to cars. The hydrogen fuel cell technology mentioned in the article, I feel, will be the ultimate answer to the vehicle energy problem.
While hybrid-technology vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells seem like the shining solution to the oil crisis, I can see one major setback that was not entirely addressed in the article. Once these super-duper-hybrid-hydrogen cars are ready for market sale, they will not go flying out of the dealership left and right as most would hope. The truth is, people like to drive their cars for as long as they can, abiding to the old rule: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The fact that these cars are extremely more fuel efficient is not enough to convince a majority of the population to dump their current, perfectly fine vehicle, and drop $20,000 on a brand new car. I could see the distribution of these vehicles being entirely dependent upon social class of the buyer; the more money you have, the easier it is for you to make this purchase. I think that the implementation of these vehicles will take such a long time that there will be a dire time in which those who are unable to afford the switch will also not be able to afford the gasoline to power their 90s sedan. However, that being said, I do think that hydrogen fuel cell technology and better gas mileage are two things that must happen within the auto industry to insure the luxury of mobility.
For this week’s response, I read the article “Biomimicry” which begins on page 99. I became interested in this subject at one of last year’s Penny W. Stamps lectures. A woman came to discuss the ways in which learning and building designs from and inspired by the natural world are important to our future. Biomimicry has had many useful applications in our society and will continue to as long as artists and designers understand that many ideas can be taken from nature. “The survivors” or plants and animals who have adapted to continue to live on this planet are the creatures we should be learning from and to disregard them as a source of inspiration would be doing ourselves a great disservice.
ReplyDeleteAs a girl who grew up in Northern Michigan I have come to value and appreciate what nature has to offer and by respecting other beings we can grow together as a planet. Spending time in the woods and the fields of Leelanau County has given me an outlook on the gifts our surroundings can bestow upon us and the usefulness of these gifts. It is fascinating what has already come from the observation and mimicry of nature and what will be designed in the future. It would be a mistake not to take the ideas already present in the natural world and recycle them to benefit the global community. In my designs to come, I hope to incorporate what I have learned and continue to learn from the plants and animals on our planet, as they were here long before me and most likely long after me.
Biomimicry, page 99
ReplyDelete“Nature is inspiring not because it’s perfect, but because it’s prolific.”
Too often humans (myself very much included) think that we are the end all, be all on this planet. But the fact remains that we have actually been present on Earth for a relatively short time. While humans may have abilities beyond other organisms around them, their inherent knowledge is not necessarily advanced as well. In fact, it our duty as a sophisticated species is to recognize that truth and with those capabilities do something about it.
Biomimicry is a fascinating topic I first became aware of and interested in with the visit of Dayna Baumeister to the Penny Stamps lecture series last semester. I was immediately sold with the simple explanation that Velcro is based on the natural concept of burrs sticking to animal fur. For lack of a better way to put it, that’s just really, really cool. “Taking nature as mentor, we are able to recognize that we are part of a larger system, and that we should treat nature as a partner and teacher rather than as a resource to be exploited” (100, Global Changing). It is very humbling as a human to see that we are just a piece of the world and that there is power above us. Nature is tested way beyond anything humans are capable, as evolution keeps things constantly changing so each solution we see has been proven over thousands of years.
Interesting examples of form design inspired by nature are German company ISPO’s “lotus-effect” products, based on the lotus plant that grows in swamps yet remains pristinely clean. This is due to its surface structure, which does not allow dirt particles to maintain attraction and forces rainwater to ball up and wash away any imperfection. Using this concept on items for the car and home, shingles and paint with water repellency have come into existence and are extremely effective against mold, mildew, and algae with a lifespan far longer than most.
More still than the form and function level of biomimicry, there is the process level, which manufactures products as nature would, and the system level that features closed-loop lifecycles that recycle the outputs and by-products of one process as inputs for another. It is amazing to think of what can come of “green” technology when we can design not just for the environment, but from the environment.
For my World Changing Statement homework, I picked the topic “Design for Development.” This article seemed interesting to me because I come from Indonesia, a Third World country. One of the quotes from the article that sticks to my head as I read the two provided articles were can be found in the introductory part of the article:
ReplyDelete“Most Things manufactured for use are what designer Enzo Mari would call ‘design that seem’: they lure us by telling a story of their profound usefulness, so we eagerly buy them. For the most part, such objects collect dust.”
This quote is eye opening to me because when I look at the innovation of phones such as I-Phone 4G and Blackberry Torch, products like these are useful but not necessarily life changing such as a simple draping of mosquito netting over a bed to prevent Malaria. The “Design for Development” introduction said “most industrial designers can only dream of developing a life-changing product,” however they do not necessarily live in Indonesia or rural Kenya to see how much simple innovation can make a difference.
The first designer they introduced was Amy Smith, an engineer from MIT. Some of the many things she had helped developed were a simple Phase-change Incubator in Ugandan communities and cooking fuel made from sugarcane remnants instead of regular wood for the deforested country of Honduras. Another designer the “Design for Development” introduced was Ralf Hotchkiss who owns Whirlwind Wheelchair International, a cheap and simple design of wheelchairs that (he quotes) works with “local context and committed to producing with local materials and skills.”
Now I am not an engineer by any means but when I look at the big picture, it is almost a “duh” situation on how simple designs such as a wheelchair can liberate what seems to be a state confinement to disabled people to now being able to be back in a part of the community. The best design truly are a “combination of local knowledge, a willingness to listen and a sense of context is paramount if design is to succeed in the Global South.”
This semester on campus is my first experience living in a house that is not my parents. Thanks to this new experience, I chose to read the article titled “Creating Healthy Homes”, on page 47, thinking that some of the tips could be implemented in my campus home. The article went through some of your typical household routines and what you would often use for these actions versus what could make a healthy home. Although I found a lot of the information interesting and will consider using the suggested improvements, there were a few topics that I did not agree with.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society there are so many articles telling people that “this average product” will give them “this disease” and that doing “this average activity” will cause “these health problems.” In past weeks I have come to realize that life is short and you need to make the most of it; who wants to spend their lives worrying about all of the little details that may or may not cause them harm. Life cannot always be 100% safe without locking yourself in a sealed room and who knows even then. Why should I alter my life because some scientist says that if I continue using certain types of everyday kitchen cleanser, I am being exposed to various toxins? We are exposed to toxins and germs every day but that does not mean that they are going to kill us. Some of this article followed this concept and I believe that if I try to protect myself from every product that scientists and specialists say may cause me harm, there is no way I will live my life to the fullest and who wants that.
Lastly, I would admit that some of the techniques for a healthy home do make a difference. One of the techniques discussed in the article was recycling. If we all made a conscientious effort to recycle, I think it would make a big difference. I also agree with the idea that little adjustments in a home can make a world of difference. Energy efficient washers, air-drying clothes when possible, using reusable products to clean: all of these techniques seem fairly simple to adjust to and in my opinion, could make a big difference.
Nonviolent Revolutions (p460):
ReplyDeleteDerrick Jensen’s “Beyond Hope” got me thinking about revolutions, because of Jensen’s passionate call to action combined with his somewhat controversial defining of the word “hope.” Upon reading the “Nonviolent Revolution” section, I gleaned from it that nonviolent actions are often much more effective and powerful than violent ones. When effective communicators intelligently utilize actions that grasp the public’s attention, the public opinion is successfully shifted, reducing the legitimacy of the regime. An obvious example that came to mind (and which was mentioned in the book) was Gandhi.
However, the case study done on Natalia Dmytruk’s nonviolent protest against Ukraine’s fraudulent 2004 presidential election struck me and left a strong impression. Her symbolic action- steering away from the news script she was given to communicate sign language to Ukraine’s deaf community that the election results were fraudulent- effectively undermined the power of a regime through an action that required no violence but instead asked for a tremendous amount of courage and a leap of faith (which brings back the question of whether “hope” can be positively applied). Her completely silent but powerful protest sent out waves of inspiration, eventually reaching the government and resulting in a reelection.
To me, this case study was encouraging and inspiring because it showed that revolutions can be started not only nonviolently, but also by everyday individuals who just decide to take the step in making a statement for what they believe will eradicate corruption. It doesn’t take a government official or a powerful leader to make changes in the world- we can all take steps to contribute to revolutionary changes in the world.
Alright so after reading Amplifying Your Voice on page 421 I walked away sadly without gaining much. Perhaps it’s just the fact that I’ve grown up through blogs and machinima. Maybe it’s the fact that every time I read anything about blogs, I hear the same exact speech. Most speak about online blogs, radios and machinimas, grand abilities in letting people become citizen writers, reporters, and activists. Frankly it’s boring. On top of that these kinds of thoughts lead to troubling problems across the board. If anyone can pick up a pen and write without respect for the power of the pen then trouble arises. A loss in objectivity, fact checking, and some might say a loss in literary talent. When someone starts writing a blog of their own, they bear a responsibility to not abuse the trust given to them by readers. You are responsible for what they read and see. I think everyone here can attest to the power of images. Now add the power of words as well and you can see how people can be misled with false evidence and bias. Of course there is another side to the idea of the everyman blog. Something I’m personally aware of from my own experience. In a world where everyone has a blog, everyone’s is relatively trivial. This is how it is with the pod-cast I’m a member of. We make hour long pod casts with detailed debates and reviews… and we may at this point have twenty people following our pod-cast. As many might have guessed, our influence is next to nil. The truth about blogs, pod-casts and the like is this. Yes everyone CAN make a blog. Only those with talent are able and perhaps should make a success out of running one. The professional writers such as former newspaper writers don’t see blogs as this giant grant of freedom. They see it as a way to reach more viewers and to perhaps even build a community around the blog. Good blogs are not there for personal agendas or personal glory.
ReplyDeleteThe world has become heavily dependent on oil, especially when is comes to fueling our cars and other forms of transportation. More and better cars are mass produced annually, and each time with increased technology and more efficient capabilities. Engineers work to build the newest cars while industrial designers work to create the most updated look. Owning and driving a car has become the norm in America, especially for rural residents who cannot easily walk from one please to another. While a shortness of oil resources has been an ongoing problem, the need to find an alternative energy source has become an urgent issue.
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses an option of creating electric cars as a long-term solution to the problem. And, in fact, this past summer I had the opportunity to drive an electric car in Israel. While I was in the country I visited Better Place, which is one of the worlds first companies to create a fully electric car. It works by charging a battery in the car for an extended amount of time and allows for several hours of driving before it needs to be recharged. Better Place proposes to give each people with a car two charging stations for he/she to put at home or work or wherever, as well as install public charging stations. In the next few years hundreds of people in Israel are expected to be using them. It was exciting to see a product of an idea that has been long in the making.
I completely agree with the message of World Changing thus far, since it is focusing mainly on the solutions to existing problems, and the methods by which future generations can execute these solutions, ultimately making the world a better place. I firmly believe that this book is much more useful to the environmentalist movement than an article similar to that which was written by Jensen. Scolding the audience is never an effective method of writing when one’s purpose is to inspire change. Although World Changing is somewhat slanted toward a liberal point of view, it is not blatantly obvious that the author is on a crusade to convert all non-believers. The author, so far, is doing a great job of making existing problems known to the reader, without pointing a finger at them, and making them feel guilty for these social problems.
ReplyDeleteWhere there are problem, though, the author also offers a hope, contrary to the Jensen article, which I believe allows his message to resonate with the reader more than a pessimistic point of view would be able to. Aside from the text itself, the book has received many positive reviews, and even boasts praises from Al Gore, and the New York Book Review. Although Al Gore is feature in the book, I believe that his opinion as a person in a position of political power still holds a decent amount of weight. Although I do not personally consider myself to be an environmental activist, I do subscribe to many of the thoughts that are writing within the pages of world changing, because there is always room for improvement. When we become complacent as a society with the status quo, then we inevitably fail as a whole.