Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "Maniates"
Building a Platform
The spring right after I turned seven I planted a tree. It was a small white pine, and I patted it into my great grandfather’s backyard with my own little hands. Since then I have watched the tree grow from the window of that little house. I remember feeling like I was connecting with something as I planted the tree. I was connecting with the tree, with nature, with my future. I knew, innately, that I was doing a good thing. And I wanted to do it again and again. I don’t think that planting one tree will save the world. No more than I think that buying a sustainable dishwasher or riding a bike instead of a car will stop climate change. But I do not deny that it is important. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Mosaic Action
Do the Little Actions Matter?
I have always operated under the belief that the actions of individual people can amount to global change. After all, society is the product of every individual’s way of life. Thus, society will only be altered when enough people believe change is necessary and act on those beliefs. Our society has caused the phenomenon of anthropogenic climate change to occur, so as Greenpeace argues, we should be able to slow climate change through our actions on a personal level. In Greenpeace’s article, How to Save the Climate, they list changes individuals ought to make to their everyday lives in order to live more sustainably. When each person reduces their annual carbon dioxide emissions to 1.3 tons, climate change will not continue to amplify (Greenpeace, 6). After reading this article, I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
The Lorax Can’t Stand Alone
Dr. Seuss’s children’s book, The Lorax, demonstrates the effects of consumerism and industry on our environment, represented by the Truffula forest; as well as the regret we will experience should we fail to take action against these powers, illustrated by the Once-ler. In the end, the Truffula forest is destroyed except for one seed, which is given to a little boy in the hope that he will successfully care for the seed and undo the damage, bringing back the Lorax and his friends. Maniates says that the little boy charged with planting the tree cannot bring back the Truffula tree forest and the Lorax. He criticizes there is too much emphasis on the ability of the individual to effect change, and he makes a valid point. Maniates argues that the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Recent Comments