Blog 3

     In the first reading, "Could food shortages bring down civilization?" it talks about how there is a lot of grains being grown, those grains could feed the world but instead they are mostly going towards feeding livestock, thus leaving less for humans. It also speaks of how there are ground aquifers that are not able to be replenished by rainwater or any other means. And these water sources are being pumped to a point where they will no longer be able to sustain the current needs and activities of agriculture. And finally it talks about how this will ultimately affect the human population, and what some plans are that can help slow, stop or even reverse this process. The currently adapted plan comes in four parts, first we need to cut the carbon emissions by at least 80%, thus helping slow the earths warming effect and save some of those crops. Next we need to stabilize the worlds population, this will help create less waste, and create a more predictable future, therefore allowing for effective long term planning. Third we need to eradicate poverty, no poverty means everyone is contributing to their economies and thus allowing for the advancement of the human race. Finally we need to restore the forests, soils and aquifers of the world. Really that one is a no brainier, do that and we can prosper for many generations to come! At the end of the reading it poses a question: "According to Lester Brown, what is the greatest threat to global political stability?" The short answer to this is the possibility of a food shortage. The long answer is that of several parts, the way our past endevers have taught us that there is never a prolonged shortage of food, but in the past they have never been faced with the problems that may pop up in the future. One for instance is that the aquifers in some of the most productive countries around the world are starting to show their age in that they are being depleted, no water means no crops. And if there is no way to replenish that water then there is no way for the future to grow crops.

In the second reading, "Women's Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation" is about how women are not being accounted for when there is a count of total production within a country and this is what I am assuming has the writer up in arms about, the fact that some of the most crucial players in the production of grains, meat and milk are not being allowed to be a part of the total count at the end of the day. Then at the end of the chapter it asks: " What is an ecofeminist?" An ecofeminist is someone (usually a woman) who feels that that the roles and lives of women are being dominated by their male counter parts (whether it be a husband, employer or other relation) but the person is more focused on environmental problems.

In the third reading, "Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems" it is about how humans have been changing the face of the earth, and how recently the changes that we are making are more frequent and bigger. The changes that we make have affected a great portion of the surface of the earth and its inhabitants. It then goes on to talk about how we have changed or affected the different cycles in our ecosystems (water cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle... etc)It concludes with a summary about how we are not able to make the decisions for the future later, but they must be done and executed now, while there is still a slim chance to make the earth as bountiful as it once was. At the end of the reading it asks: "Would it help to reduce the human impact on the Earth id we could reduce the human population?" I think that if we were able to reduce the human population it would have a substantial impact on the impact we are having on the earth, with less people on the earth, there is less demand, waste and therefore the earth can balance things easier. But on the other side of the coin if there is less people on the earth then there are less people to do research into how to save the earth, and this is why I think it is important for countries that are not as economically stable as others to have more strict population rules and guidelines.

For the activity I watched the documentary "How food shapes our cities" by Carolyn Steel on one of the Ted talks. She spoke of how the large empires and cities of the past were able to feed themselves in a sustainable way, how the past civilizations were able to do this without damaging the earth. Now a days we are getting food grown, packaged and shipped all in the same place, thus not allowing for the variety that we once had. The foods that we all eat whether it be someone from Europe or Canada the food that we are eating these days is less nutritious and healthy than the food that we once ate. This makes very much sense to me in that I live by many Huderite colonies, and every so often we get the change to purchase or trade for some chicken, buns or other stuff. The food that we get from them is very good, it tastes much better than anything that you can get from the supermarket just because (at least I believe this is the reason) the food is grown in a much more natural way, the food isn't made in a plant, it is left to grow on the land, it takes and gives to the land as its ancestors did before it.

As of recently we have been talking about how the food gets to our tables, from the farmer, through the processor and packers, delivered and then I get it. I used to not think about my food. I knew that it came from basically factory farms and that the conditions in those farms were just the most disgusting things that you could ever walk in on. The thing about this class is that they not only present you with ideas and problems but they get you to think about what you can do to help the situations (Usually by showing what others have done before.) This really makes me think about how easy it looks to do something that while in the long run will benefit all that are surrounding the situation. That is how this class has gotten me to think about my food! In class we have blog reflections, these are them: When one is considering their food system, what do you like about it, dislike about it, all the while considering the taste, nutrition equity and environmental issues. I think that the best part of my diet is potatoes. Why potatoes you ask well because they are delicious, you can do next to anything with them, use them in every meal and they are a really good filler. These potatoes are not any regular potatoes either, these potatoes are potatoes that come off my uncle's farm, he grows them for the McCain factory in Portage La Prairie, and every year he invites us out to grab some to take home (also to give a hand as well) So out of everything and anything that is in my diet (even Slurpees!) I think that potatoes are the greatest and best thing that I can be eating, nutritionally, environmentally, and because they taste really good! The next reflection that was given to us was about zoos and how they play a role in the conservation and education of certain species. I think that it is a good idea that zoos are able to play a role in the conservation and education of the species that they house, the zoo is a great place for young and old alike to go and learn and experience what the animal should be like in its natural habitat (even if that means sleeping for 9/10ths of its life) so I do think that it is ethical to keep animals in zoos, at least zoos that are like the Winnipeg zoo. Where the animal is given a lot of room to roam and play, where there is a bit of cross species interaction and really the animal is being cared for not only physically but also mentally. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy going to the zoo, is because I can see that the animals are being well treated and they are there not only to entertain the masses but to also educate for their brothers and sisters that are still out in the wild. The final blog reflection was asking what I am doing to promote sustainability and happiness in my life, what I am not doing that I would like to do, and what I pledge to do. Currently it is quite simple what I am doing, when possible I don't travel. I don't buy things at stores unless I actually need them, I try to buy from local food markets and the such and as a family we compost and recycle everything that we can. I think that I lead a very sustainable life, I conserve what I can whenever I can and I work to get others to do the same. I cannot say that there is much more that I would like to do, as I don't see there much more that I can do, and I believe this is because when I see someone doing something that is sustainable or developmental to the regeneration of the earth I jump right in and do what I can to help, or I participate on my own.