Food Inc 2

I was really happy that they talked about the problems with using ethanol as a fuel source. Using corn to make ethanol for use in auto mobiles is a really bad idea. Using corn might have seemed like a potential solution to the pollution problems associated with fossil fuels but when you realize that it takes more energy to produce ethanol from corn than you can get from burning it, it doesn't have the same appeal. On top of wasted energy is inflation to the price of corn as a food crop. The major agricultural companies are able to obtain corn at such low prices that they pursued ethanol technologies without really thinking about how that might affect the average American.
The book gets a nice change of pace in the Why Bother? chapter. I felt as though the argument was lost a little on me when I was reading it because I already have a garden at home and try to be conscious of what I'm purchasing at the super market, but say that was not the case... they do a nice job of convincing the reader that a little bit might not seem like a lot, but if a lot of people do a little bit its possible to get big results. Many people do feel detached from what they're eating; everything we eat has become so inexpensive and commonplace that we just assume that everything is O.K. I think that this is what the authors feel is the underlying tone of the average American consumer. The chapter gives the reader hope that they can make a difference, even if they are doing good for goodness sake.

Film/Reading

The part of the film that I found to be the most disturbing, and therefore the most persuasive, was the part about the seed collector. The film pointed out that Monsanto owns 90% of the soybeans in our country and they even have the rights to the genetic material inside of the soybean seeds. The part in that segment that really made me question the practice of patenting genetic material was the fact that even if the Monsanto soybean plants accidentally mix with the non-Monsanto soybean plants, the company owns the seeds that result from reproduction. If that is truly the case then Monsanto will own every soybean seed in America within a few years. I don't think that it is the best interest of the people of the united states to allow one company to have that much control. If you look at the amount of products that rely on soy the prospect of monopoly gets even scarier.

When I was looking at the reading there were a one passages that really stood out to me.
In the section on organics, I really liked how they defined organic.
"Organic stands for many things -- a philosophy of wholeness, the science of integration, a rallying cry for keeping nature humming as the interdependent web of life. Organic is also highly pragmatic -- a real solution to society's ills. It's a sensible farm policy and helps migrate health-care-woes -- you eat better, you are better. ..."

Effects of Pollution and Exploitation on Fresh Water

Cullen Hodgkiss
Research Prospectus
Eng 308J
February 1, 2010

Introduction
The first issue that came to my mind when we were presented with this assignment was Biodiversity and its importance to healthy environments. I remembered reading in Lost Mountain that 1 in 10 plant species were known to contain anti cancer compounds and that if we don’t start making some drastic changes we may see the extinction of 20% of our plant and animal species by 2030. These kinds of statements were corroborated by my research; Wikipedia reported that 30% of all plant and animal species will be extinct by 2050. At this point I knew that Biodiversity was definitely an issue worth looking into, especially since I plan on being around in 2050 (62 is not that old anymore).

As I dug deeper into the effects that pollution and exploitation were having on the biodiversity in our environments, I noticed that Fresh Water ecosystems were the most at risk. Threats to biodiversity in general include habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, human over population, and overharvesting. When considering fresh water specifically, chemical pollutants seem to be the biggest problem. Water pollution regulations have dramatically increased since the Cuyahoga River caught on fire, but there are still many chemicals that are slipping into our water supply that could be potentially quite harmful to humans. Just because the river isn’t burning doesn’t mean that chemical pollution is not a problem.

Fresh water can be broken down into two sub-categories, surface water and ground water. Surface water is basically rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, while ground water is found in the pores of soil and aquifers. On the subject of surface water, I found hat that 55 percent of our yearly household water supply comes from rivers and lakes, unfortunately 40% of our rivers and 45% of our lakes are polluted. Surface water pollution is primarily caused by runoff, which is pollutants washing off the land. Some of the most harmful pollutants included in this runoff are chemical fertilizers. According to pollutionissues.com, fertilizers account for 80 percent of the phosphates being dumped into our waterways. Ground water seems to be the most affected by leaking municipal landfills, sewage lagoons, and chemicals from industrial activity. According to pollutionissues.com the EAP reported 318 disease outbreaks associated with ground water systems between 1971 and 1996, that’s roughly 12 outbreaks a year. Ground water is also affected by leaking underground oil tanks and gas spills. Again according to pollutionissues.com, 400,000 leaking underground storage tanks were reported in 2001.

This kind of pollution kills plants and animals that are vital to the stability and overall health of fresh water ecosystems. With only 3% of the world’s water supply being fresh, the pollution taking place today is something that we should all be concerned about, especially as an increasing population puts more strain on our water supplies. Chemical pollutants destroy many organisms that are essential to our survival. If we hope to continue thriving on this planet it is essential that we take steps to recognize and correct the problems facing our ever dwindling water supply.


Bibliography
1) Biodiversity. Web.
.
2) Shah, Anup. "Biodiversity." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010. .
3) "Water Pollution: Fresh Water." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010. .
4) "Freshwater Ecosystems." n. pag. Web. 30 Jan 2010. .
5) Gordon, Christopher. "Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa: Problems and Overlooked Potentials." n. pag. Web. 1 Feb 2010. .