Rhetorical Analysis Of Forget Shorter Showers By Derrick Jensen
analytical Essay
1293 words
Engineering a Sustainable World: What Does It Take to Come Out on Top? The modern lifestyle, full of one time use items and pollution generating machines, is harming our environment, and, without a plan, the death of our planet is certain. Environmentalist and author, Derrick Jensen uses a comparison of possible outcomes to persuade his readers to take action that would help stop climate change; political resistance is his preferred and recommended course of action for his audience. Throughout his essay, “Forget Shorter Showers”, Jensen makes clear his desire to reduce or even reverse the effects industrialization (476-478). He advocates an approach where society makes changes to industry and to government over the current methods of voluntary …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how derrick jensen uses a comparison of possible outcomes to persuade readers to take action that would help stop climate change; political resistance is his preferred and recommended course of action.
- Explains that simple living is an active choice made by individuals to reduce their carbon footprint through voluntary reduce, reuse, and recycle methods. individual effort can only go so far toward rebuilding the global ecosystem.
- Explains leed, or leadership in energy & environmental design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures.
- Argues that advances in agribusiness are tributes to what modern science and technology can achieve when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment.
- Explains that the kardashev scale measures a civilization by its ability to harness the energy available in its current environment, and it is expected that we will reach type 1 in the next 100 to 200 years.
- Opines that technology pushes us towards a sustainable future, but we still have much to do in implementing changes with regard to individuals, corporations, and governments.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for …show more content…
As Jensen points out, farming and industry accounts for the vast majority of total water usage in the world (477). The increasingly scarce resource is a necessary ingredient when growing food. Technology continuously improves to make it easier for farmers to grow crops while using less water. Scientists at the University of Georgia utilize what they term “variable rate irrigation” to let farmers automate the current systems of irrigation to water only the crops that need it (Gies). This is an example of retrofitting current farms, but there is a new way of farming coming to cities that reuses practically all of its water and stakes claim much less acreage in the process. The future of agriculture belongs to vertical and urban farming. These types of farms reduce the use of water, chemicals (such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides), soil and space (The Economist). These farms are so cutting edge that they are mostly in the experimental stages. Firms like Famgro farms are testing “stackable” farming systems that can scale with demand, even further reducing waste. Famgro’s stackable farms are ideal for cityscapes where land is at a premium; furthermore, reaping the added benefit of being in close proximity to the customers that they serve. Customers will enjoy high quality, fresh produce at only a slightly
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- Permaculture Essayexplanatory essayUrban farming is the practice of growing and harvesting crops in urbanised areas such as, cities or towns. Urban farms are extremely beneficial, as they utilise unused space in efficient ways. For instance, vertical and rooftop gardens use minimal space and make use of areas that would otherwise be unused, providing a range of fresh, healthy produce. Many people around the world rely on food sourced from urban farms and local gardens. Farmers markets are a rapidly growing trend and provide fresh, quality produce to food insecure households, they are most common in rural and urban areas, as these communities may not have easy access to large food stores or supermarkets. The produce sourced from local farmers markets are fresh, and often picked either the night before or that morning, compared to supermarkets where the fruit and vegetables lose valuable nutrients and antioxidants after being pickled and sitting for days. With the produce being locally sourced, much of the money is transferred back into the local economy. Farmers markets create job opportunities and the ability to make profit and create food security. Urban Farms and farmers markets both positively contribute to the idea of food security by supplying quality, fresh produce
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- Explains how permaculture can be applied in everyday life, such as growing your own food, minimizing waste, and water conservation. australians waste 4,000,000 tonnes of food each year.
- Explains that permaculture plans within local communities can provide sustainable food sources for particular areas, thus becoming independent and not requiring resources from large farming regions.
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883 wordsRead More - Agriculture in the U.S.explanatory essayThe problem is, famers still need to irrigate. Much of the western United States is quite arid, and agricultural operations cannot simply eliminate irrigation because of their environmental conscience. A viable policy objective in the agricultural industry must be able to incorporate sustainable irrigation processes, instead of suggesting that farmers eradicate their irrigation. West of the 100th merid...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the allocation of scarce water resources has become an important political issue with pressures of climate change mounting in the minds of americans.
- Explains that it is difficult to determine how much water a certain farmland production organization should be spending in normative terms because the cost of irrigation in the u.s. fluctuates dramatically based on so many components.
- Argues that a viable policy objective in the agricultural industry must incorporate sustainable irrigation processes, instead of suggesting that farmers eradicate their irrigation.
- Explains that irrigation pricing in the west reflects historical pricing schemes, and not the true cost of water being used.
- Explains that federal and state subsidies distort the true costs of water through subsidization.
- Explains that reclamation subsidies and federal cost-sharing policies are great means of government intervention in incentivize conservation, but set the price of water much too low.
- Explains that the price for water in the u.s. varies greatly due to the wide array of water sources and irrigation agreements.
- Explains that climate change could "dramatically reduce agricultural productivity in the united states." the world population will only continue to grow.
- Explains that much of the cost attached to water price is heavily reliant on ground water, specifically from the ogallala aquifer, and residential homes and commercial operations nearby.
- Explains that former unsafe waste disposal practices are a major danger to the safety of available groundwater.
- Explains that high extraction costs, declining water levels and increased water pollution have motivated many agricultural operations to conserve, in part, by replacing surface irrigation with more costly center-pivot and low-pressure sprinklers, and subsurface drip irrigation.
- Explains wichelns' estimate of the variable costs of irrigation in the region, while pumping from a depth of 61 meters, is $772 per hectare.
- Opines that technological innovations could improve efficiency in agricultural irrigation, but can technological innovation reduce sensitivity to extreme temperature changes?
- Opines that genetically modified crops are the biggest hope for improving heat tolerance.
- Explains that demand for agricultural products is highly price inelastic and that the u.s. provides approximately one-fourth of the world’s basic calories.
- Explains that vaux places the price elasticity of demand for domestic water in the west between -0.2 and-0.6. this is good for the government that may want to tax water.
- Opines that increased production abroad, protectionism, and the relatively high value of the dollar have all served to reduce the demand for exports substantially.
- Explains that irrigation costs and prices are rising in most regions of the united states due to increasing scarcity, changes in public preferences regarding water allocation among competing uses, increasing budget scrutiny in the national and state legislatures, rising energy prices, and increasing awareness of climate change.
- Explains that moore, gollehon and carey performed an econometric analysis on variables affecting water prices in the western united states in 1994.
- Explains that econometric analysis proves to be an effective way on looking at the role of water price as a determinant of producer decisions because of its importance to water conservation policy.
- Explains that farmers respond more drastically to water prices in regards to certain crops than others. land allocation functions can substitute for crop supply functions in analysis of output substitution.
- Describes the water conservation potential from irrigation technology transitions in the pacific northwest.
- Explains that henry j. vaux, jr., american journal ofagricultural economics, vol. 68, no. 5, proceedings issue, 1986, pp. 1135-1142.
1888 wordsRead More - Essay On Photojournalismcomparative essayMougeot, Luc. Growing Better Cities: Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Development. International Development Research Centre, 2006.
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- Explains the causes of urbanization in america, such as new technologies in construction, increasing agricultural efficiency, and the rise in "anti-immigration".
- Explains that photojournalism pushed for social change by showing problems associated with the society. it created a new way for people to communicate during the civil war.
- Concludes that photojournalism has become more prominent over the years. it has continued to serve as a huge impact in american society.
- Explains beall, joe, basudeb, khasnobis, and kanbur, ravi. urbanization and development: multidisciplinary perspectives. oxford university press, 2010.
- Cites mougeot, luc, growing better cities: urban agriculture for sustainable development, international development research centre, 2006.
- Describes riis, jacob, how the other half lives: studies among the tenements of new york.
- Explains that photojournalism originated in 1853 when carol szathmari documented the crimean war.
1184 wordsRead More - We Must Prevent Climate Changeanalytical essayClimate change, never has such an impending natural disaster been so heavily ignored. While this problem of Greenhouse Gasses holds more long-term implications than any other problem found today, little to nothing has been done to address this problem. Through the last century, industrialization has revolutionized the world, in all aspects of life from comfort to industry. While this has obviously had its benefits, it has also created a world that is almost entirely dependent on carbon dioxide producing technology. This has caused the single biggest problem when it comes to curbing this issue known as climate change. That problem is the simple fact that in order for the people to make a positive unified change in the C02 levels they produce, they’re going to have to make sacrifices. These sacrifices range from giving up or reducing their use of various CO2 producing technologies, to paying new taxes such as carbon taxes. The causes for Climate Change and the lack of action to curb it are, of course, complex, but there are at least three significant factors: High prices required to produce and implement low-carbon technology; lack of political and corporate support; and an extensive public reliance on technology (Weeks). More than this, the public, along with the government, have been unwilling to sacrifice either money or effort, which has only served to exponentially increase the problem at hand.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that industrialization has revolutionized the world, but it has also created a world that is almost entirely dependent on carbon dioxide producing technology.
- Argues that low/no-carbon technology must be developed and implemented to reduce the amount of c02 in the environment.
- Explains that the government has the power to use propaganda to generate support, which will generate more money by newly introduced parties.
- Opines that the last important cause to the lack of support for the fight against carbon emission is the population itself. although 70% of people believe that climate change is a legitimate problem, 40% believe humans are the cause of it.
- Argues that the cause of climate change and the lack of action to curb it are complex, but the public and government have been unwilling to sacrifice money or effort, which has exponentially increased the problem.
1026 wordsRead More - Suffer the Short-Term; Appreciate the Long-Termanalytical essay...?” Michael F. Maniates repudiates the small, individual “environment-saving” actions that have become so popular in the modern age. Maniates decides that the “individualization of responsibility” creates a societally ingrained concept that “knotty issues of consumption” can be resolved with “uncoordinated consumer choice” (Maniates 33). Instead, the change should be focused on “challenging the dominant view – the production, technology, efficiency-oriented perspective” (Maniates 50). Like Hardin, Maniates believes that impactful change can only come about from wide-scale changes in consumption habits, but considers consumption to be “constrained, shaped, and framed by insitutions and political forces that can be remade only through collective citizen action” (Maniates 50). This collective citizen action can best be manifested in the form of new government regulation.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the controversy surrounding keystone xl's environmental impact, cost of construction, and cronyism. the pipeline will ease the transport of fuel from tar sands from alberta, canada to the refinement plants in the united states.
- Explains that tar sands are one of the most recent utilized sources of petroleum. they require significantly more refinement and provide less petroleum per volume than any other utilized source of hydrocarbons.
- Opines that the keystone xl pipeline will provide the united states with an economic stimulus and a boost to energy security.
- Analyzes transcanada's claim that the environmental impact of the keystone xl pipeline will be negligible in almost all areas and actually positive in certain areas.
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- Analyzes how mcdonough disagrees with the use of energy reserves such as oil or coal in the first place. running a global economy off of tar sands and other nonrenewable supplies equates to working from savings.
- Opines that a small increase in greenhouse gas production can create rippling effects.
- Argues that exploitation of common resources will inevitably prove problematic for everyone. garrett hardin proposes a critical economic theory that individuals, driven by their own personal benefit, act in such manner that harms the group’s long-term best interests.
- Analyzes how michael f. maniates repudiates the small, individual "environment-saving" actions that have become so popular in the modern age.
1622 wordsRead More - Sustainability at Drexelexplanatory essayPlanning the construction of a building is the first place to take action. There are both ways in the design and land use that can benefit the environment in some way. During the designing process, things that can be done is planning for an energy efficient building or having a building be able to use renewable energy. According the buildinggreen.com, “Passive solar heating, daylighting, and natural cooling can be incorporated cost-effectively into most buildings.” (buildinggreen.com) This statement leaves no excuse for organizations to not take action. Most of the time, an excuse that is used is that “going green is too costly.” The difference of cost in green materials to non-green materials is anywhere from 0-2% increase (colliers-sustainability.com). Another design step that can be taken is to design for durability. If the building is created to last long, then the green impacts that the building has will be able to make an impa...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rethinking how to construct buildings can have huge effects on the environment. design, siting, land use, materials, and equipment can be altered to tailor this idea of having greener buildings.
- Explains that planning the construction of a building is the first place to take action.
- Explains that the use of land can help to make a greener environment. renovating old buildings is considered the most sustainable construction.
- Explains that using low maintenance and recycled materials can keep costs down in both the long and short run.
- Explains that installing high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment is beneficial to both the tenant of the building and the environment.
- Explains the hidden and obvious benefits of going green, such as saving money and having a healthier occupancy.
972 wordsRead More - Green Buildings/Green Architectureanalytical essayA green building (also referred to as sustainable building or green construction) is a structure that employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle: This is from selecting the site to designing it, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and demolishing it. To achieve this, the client, the engineers, the architects and the entire design team closely cooperate at all stages of a project (Yan and Paliniotis, 2006). Practicing Green Building complements and expands the conventional building design areas of comfort, durability, utility and economy.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the first rule of thumb during construction is to avoid sprawl building that is, distribution in anarchic fashion. buildings occupy the largest amount of land especially in the united states.
- Explains that every construction project has its roots in the design and concept stages, which bear the greatest impact on performance and cost.
- Opines that water conservation and protection are core objectives in sustainable building. the use of greywater and non-sewage on site trims down demands on the local aquifer.
- Explains that green building aspects are incorporated into the o&m segment of the life of a building.
- Explains that organizations have developed standards, rating and codes systems that let consumers, building professionals and government regulators accept green construction with confidence. written codes enable local governing bodies adopt them as bylaws toward diminishing local environmental effects of structures.
- Describes the unique form of the centre for construction excellence, which marries the landscape and the building. the varied and dramatic interior spaces and playful color use in animating the facades provide inspiration especially in green architecture.
- Recommends that the globe embrace green architecture as studies have indicated that it is worth the effort in the long term. canada has set the pace by doing green buildings like algonquins acce building.
- Explains that a green building employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle.
- Explains leed, a third-party program of certification, which encourages worldwide adoption of green buildings and development practices through universally accepted performance criteria and tools.
- Explains that sustainable development concepts began in the 1970s owing to pollution of the environment concerns and energy (more so fossil oil crisis). green building is a collection of skill, techniques, and practices to decrease and eventually eradicate the impacts of structures
- Argues that lca helps avoid a tapered outlook on economic, social and environmental concerns by appraising the full scope of impacts connected with every phase of the process.
- Explains that green buildings use embodied energy to process, extract, install, and transport building materials, as well as operating energy for services like power and heating for equipment.
- Explains the ieq class in the leed groupings, which aims at diminishing volatilke organic compounds (vocs) among other impurities in air.
- Explains that green architecture aims to diminish waste of materials, water and energy during construction. deconstruction is an approach to harvest what is generally considered waste and retrieving them as valuable materials for building.
- Analyzes how the cost of green buildings has come under criticism. the life-cycle cost is pitted against up-front cost knowledge, and higher student or worker productivity is a factor concerning cost and savings deductions.
- Cites greer, d, alevantis, berman a, perlman j, and mills, e. the costs and financial benefits of green buildings: a report to california’s sustainable building task force.
2880 wordsRead More - Climate Change is a Natural Phenomenoncomparative essayUnites States Green Building Council. (2014). Leadership in energy and environmental design. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/leed#why
In this essay, the author
- Explains that climate change has been an extremely controversial topic in recent history and continues to create much debate today.
- Explains that climatism is the belief that man-made greenhouse gasses such as co2 are destroying the earth's climate.
- Explains that climatism advocates seven lifestyle changes to reduce global warming and carbon emissions that will negatively affect human lifestyles.
- Explains that the us green building council has implemented the leed green building standard to promote sustainable building practices to save money, conserve energy, reduce water consumption, improve indoor air quality and drive innovation.
- Explains that the man-made global warming theory is simple and has many holes. rising surface temperatures are a one basis for the theory behind man made global heating.
- Concludes that modern warming and global temperature rises over the last 130 years are abnormal. the medieval warm period (mwp) and the little ice age (lia) are just two of many alternating heating and cooling trends of the planets climate history.
- Explains that north atlantic climatic oscillations revealed by deep greenland ice cores.
- Explains singer, s.f., avery, d. (2007). unstoppable global warming every 1500 years.
1572 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Sustainable Interior Designopinion essayIn order to measure whether a building has achieved the definition of "green", each LEED classification system incorporates seven categories: Sustainable systems, Water Efficiency, Energy, and Atmosphere, Materials and resources, Quality of the indoor environment, Design
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the construction industry is one of the main sources of pollution in water, air, and noise.
- Explains that sustainability has extended to our field; people have begun to understand the importance and necessity to introduce this practice into their life. it offers new opportunities for designers to think in a new way.
- Explains that the notion of interior design is simple: decorate the spaces inside the houses, decide what is beautiful or unpleasant, what goes with the room and what not; aesthetic appeal is the priority. the sustainable design has a different main guideline; before esthetics, there is ethics.
- Explains that the scope of sustainable development is conceptually divided into three parts: environmental, economic, and social; each pillar must be on an equal stage, promoting a model of growth without exclusion.
- Recommends using recycled,'recyclable', and compostable materials to achieve sustainable design. basic things like paint or floor installation are a good way to start.
- Explains that the epa (environmental protection u.s) identifies as one of the contributors of pollutants to chemicals that come from components in the interiors.
- Explains the importance of materials with less impact on the natural resources. air lite is an eco-friendly technology advance by purifying the air around working like leaves on trees, eliminating bacteria, mold, and functioning as a filter.
- Explains that the us green building council's leed certification is a demanding and rigorous program that incorporates new concepts periodically based on new technologies and studies on green buildings.
- Explains that each leed classification system incorporates seven categories to measure whether a building has achieved the definition of "green".
- Estimates that leed's guidelines can reduce energy consumption by 24 to 50%, co2 emissions from 33 to 39%, water use by 40%, and waste management by 70%.
- Opines that the benefit to investors is that their buildings, when adopting sustainable strategies, have more added value because they know that operating costs will be lower and their occupants will enjoy more comfortable environments.
- Opines that the investment to realize a sustainable project will exceed conventional work budgets and, according to experts, are recoverable costs to three years on average, for the savings it provides.
- Opines that it is important to highlight the task of the industry professionals, who have an important task to support and educate the population about these issues.
797 wordsRead More - Green Architectureexplanatory essayThe beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that green architecture is a method of design that minimizes the impact of building on the environment.
- Explains the beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and european design.
- Explains that green architecture can be organized into several areas of application, such as sustainability, materials, energy efficiency, land use, and waste reduction.
- Explains that green design reduces the dependence on resource intensive products and materials, and considers materials that minimize waste or can be recycled.
- Explains that green architecture integrates energy efficient mechanical systems and conservation methods. green buildings reduce or eliminate the dependence on fossil fuels and minimize waste through gray water recycling and other sustainable energy strategies.
- Explains that land use and building orientation plays a critical role in green architecture. a green building is located to take advantage of its climate and surroundings.
- Explains that green buildings eliminate waste by using modular systems of construction, recycled products, and efficient use of materials. the ideal green building would create no waste during construction or use, so the impact on the environment and resources is minimized.
- Opines that environmentally sensitive development at all levels housing, commercial and institutional appears to be a promising approach to achieve sustainability in these terms. humanity needs affordable, healthy, durable, comfortable housing and workspaces designed to maintain or uplift the human condition.
- Opines that corporate leaders have recognized the market value of environmentally sound products and manufacturing approaches. in the next 10 to 20 years, a more sustainable economy and infrastructure will be needed to head off environmental problems.
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