Carson

Rachel Carson had two articles to read and the first one was A Fable for Tomorrow. Carson puts in perspetive a very interesting view of our future global environment. The main focus of the passage was if sustainability is not achieved before the result of deterioration occurs than there is not much hope of the environment. The passage relates to us and our environment now because it is the time to save our earth and better reconstruct the damages our past generations have done. Carson had a very unique approach, she grabbed me as a reader with the way she worded her sentences, I felt as if the city she was explaining was real and I was standing right in the middle of it.  “The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire (151).” “A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know (152).”

Carson’s second article, The Obligation to Endure, was a very unique view of pesticides and other damaging chemicals. A quote by Albert Schweitzer on page 154 stood out to me, “Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation.” This quote seemed to emphasize how dangerous the current produces are because of the chemicals used. Carson also adds in this passage that there are over 500 new chemicals that the human body has to adapt to each year. People are normally worried about general foods that are good or bad for you, but now we also have to be aware of the chemicals used on our foods.  All together I really enjoyed reading Carson’s passages, and she may be one of my favorite authors in this book. The way she brought me into each problem and scenery was great and easy to follow. 

A picture I found that the imagery reminded me of  A Fable for Tomorrow.

http://artobserved.com/2011/04/go-see-washington-alexis-rockman-a-fable-for-tomorrow-at-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum-until-may-8th-2011/

This picture to me is a great image of kids being poisoned by all these new chemicals found in our foods now. 

http://chemicalfreelife.tumblr.com/post/19461293163

Shiva

In “What is Biodiversity and why is it So important” Shiva explains the connection between biological and cultural diversity. Reading her section made me feel kind of overwhelmed. She makes it clear what she is, and that is an activist for organic agriculture. One quote in general stood out to be on how I knew where she stood, “Globalization has accelerated the destruction of biodiversity to such a place and on such a scale that plants and animals that were common a few years ago have disappeared.” Shiva states that globalization is one of the main reasons biodiversity is failing, but believes that globalization had made not only the United States but several other nations prosper with their exports, international affairs, and imports.  Additionally, she has a bias view because she continuously insults the United States and Europe, but praises her home country of India. “India has a rich and ancient heritage of medical knowledge based on its vast resources of medicinal plant biodiversity.” Even though she gives us a lot of information, I still was not sure if I fully agreed that biodiversity is the most reliant resource to keep health food production alive. 

I tried to find a steady ground with Shiva, but it seemed when I started to lean her way she brought be back down to not enjoying what she had to say. Hitting at my sense of place, being from the west, she states towards the end two root causes, “The first arises from the ‘empty-earth’ paradigm of colonization, which assumes that ecosystems are empty if not taken over by western industrial man or his clones.” I do have mixed feelings with the fact that “For the last 500 years, colonization has been based on the idea of ‘emptiness’ of the earth and of other cultures,” but look at what has come out of that 500 years. Contributes like the settlements of North and South America, Australia, and many huge countries that contribute to this world. 

Globalization destruction of forest.

http://www.greenfudge.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Greenpeace-forest-destruction.jpg

India and other hindu people take part in medicinal plant biodiversity.

 http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00690/10VZVISKCITYREG2SAP_690429f.jpg