Our society is based heavily off of production and consumption of material things. Whatever gets produced however does not last forever and must eventually get thrown out. Thus we have our system of dispensing waste. Our mass build up of trash is so great that we have to export it to other countries like China and it’s one of our leading exports. With such a large consolidation of garbage and other waste, there is no avoiding negative effects to our environment and to human health. However, because of the way our society has been set up, there are certain people within it that have more power than others which allows them to decide who is going to be the one to face the consequences of humanity's mistakes. The consequences of our garbage problem …show more content…
However, there have been a few instances in which these practices that our considered natural are something of a fictional reality developed by those who seek to maintain power and who wish to keep us divided. Many of our societies have been convinced that these idea’s or practices are something that has always existed and is completely normal to human nature because they are practiced on a daily basis without question. This is what the idea of social constructionism is. The problem is that some of the shared assumptions about reality that were created by social constructionism have been used as a way to divide people throughout history. Because of this certain groups of people have been giving less rights and less power and are thus considered insignificant to the rest of society. That is how big corporations that operate our waste system are able do whatever they wish in certain communities with impunity because the concept of social constructionism has created belief systems that have undermined the status of these …show more content…
Both of these systems of separation have not only allowed certain groups of people to hold more power, but have also defined which groups get to be marginalized. One of the ways in which this plays out is through what many call environmental racism. This is when a community of a certain social and racial background are subject to be the victim of the bad done to our environment. It is done so in ways that would spark outrage if it were a community of a higher class and the so called superior “white race.” The repercussions of our build up of garbage and the use of incinerators being dumped onto these communities is an example of how this plays out. An example of this would be the town of Emelle Alabama. This community is 93.55% black and many of it’s residents live below the poverty level. This also just happens to be the home to one of the largest and most hazardous landfills in America. They also have incinerators within the area which make the air toxic. This show’s how people of a lower class and a certain race are not considered when it comes to environmental issues because the negative effects that the landfills and incinerators have on their health doesn't seem to be a concern to many. Another group of people that are considered insignificant when it comes to America’s waste disposal are the indigenous people’s. One example that comes
What is interesting is that a national report found racial demographics were the number one predictor of where hazardous waste facilities were located across the United States (OSCE, 2011). In the U.S. non-white communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental risks and they do not have a voice in the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations (OSCE, 2011). In the Ted Talk video “Greening the Ghetto” Majora Carter wants people to realize that race and class do play a role in where waste sites are placed, but also where nice parks and trees are. Environmental racism is not just a problem in the United States, but exists in Canada as well. For instance, Nova Scotia’s Africville a community of African slaves until the industrial boom, which led to Africville becoming a new dumping site for waste (OSCE, 2011).
I identify with being a white, Catholic, straight, teenager girl living in Owensboro, Kentucky. I considered those my cultural and societal groups. There is no objective way to pick my real group. With my taste, opinions, characteristics and age constantly changing so are my cultural and societal groups.
...nerators, the Anti-Toxics movement is another important movement that has added to the struggle with Environmental Justice. The Anti-Toxins movement began in the late 1970s as soon as President Jimmy Carter acknowledged Love Canal, New York, a catastrophe spot. Carter in due course evacuated the area for safety reasons. Ever since the evacuation the former citizens of Love Canal got together to form the Citizens Clearinghouse of Hazardous Waste. Its goal is to aid thousands of neighboring clusters to fight against deadly waste exposures. Several anti-toxics movement have formed during the past several years to advocate for stricter government policy with regard to pollution prevention. These groups argue for the abolishment of toxic waste, arguing that some areas would be affected by pollutants given the structure of the economy of the United States of America.
Velazquez focuses on the unfair treatment of the poor community by large corporations. Because of this focus, she ignores the fact that in this distribution of waste-transfer stations, it can bring enormous economic values for this country’s development. Velazquez conveys that large corporations dump lots of waste and she has “personally never see a waste-transfer station on the upper East Side of Manhattan, or in the Hamptons” while almost forty percent of New York City’s waste-transfer stations are in her district (766). As a representative of her district, it is reasonable for Velazquez to be outraged by the waste-transfer stations’ distribution from her district’s residents’ points of view.
To begin, people are living in harsh environments. According to the article “Environmental Justice” it states, “Poor minority neighborhoods bear an unequal burden from hazardous facilities and waste sites.” This means the communities that are poor have to depend on other resources because they don’t have money to support themselves. In addition, the article “What is environmental racism?” According to page 1 paragraph 9 it states, “Low-income residents seeking affordable
Environmental racism is the “targeting of minorities and low-income communities to bear a disproportionate share of environmental costs. It refers to any policy or practice that differently affects or disadvantages individuals, groups or communities based on race or skin color” (Schill & Austin 1991). Environmental racism focuses on race as the primary factor why poor minorities in the United States are bearing a disproportionate share of the nation’s waste. According to research done by The Commission of Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ, areas containing two or more waste facilities or one of the largest waste landfills in the nation had on average about 40% people of color (Mohai, Pellow & Timmons
There are many political and public health issues in which environmental racism is a contributing factor. To achieve social and environmental justice, it is vital to look beyond simple government policies. Individuals must see the ethical inequality of environmental racism and its injustices. Communities of afflicted people are both the subject and object of ethical concern and their futures seems to be tied to the whims of governing bodies that make choices not in “their” favor (ethically, financially, and environmentally). Environmental racism is a key contributing factor to many human and non-human health issues nationwide, and worldwide. In many primarily minority communities, the neighborhoods have become the literal dumping grounds for household garbage, hazardous wastes, and other sources of toxins. Research has shown that people of color are more likely to reside in are...
Environmental racism has been an ongoing issue in the United States. This issue mainly affects communities of color, immigrants, and poor folks who live in urban areas and around public squalors. This creates an unsafe environment for low-income communities and there are hardly any resource to address these environmental destructions. Most poor communities are more than likely to experience pollution than anywhere else because of their social and class status. Due to this, it can determine their breathing and living condition. This builds the connection between race and environmental destruction because of the stigma of space that is attached to low-income areas. Even though environmental racism is more than the unloading of waste in poor areas, this paper focus more on this factor than other elements that correlate with environmental racism. In order to make space for toxic waste, society risks the safety and health of poor communities of color to ensure a capacity for industry to perpetuate environmental racism.
Most Americans conjure imagery of a planet replete with pristine wilderness, crystal blue oceans, fresh air, and verdant forests when they think about the natural environment. In recent decades, this description is becoming increasingly applicable only to certain areas of the United States because poor and minority communities are overwhelmingly subjected to dangerous environmental hazards. As such, the concept of environmental racism has become a major issue affecting every aspect of their lives because of their placement and proximity to environmentally dangerous areas such as landfills, toxic waste sites, and other forms of pollution. The environmental justice movement seeks to remedy this problem by recognizing the direct link between economic, environmental, race, and health issues. The biggest aim of environmental justice is for all people to live, work, and play in clean, and environmentally safe communities. However, in mainstream American environmentalism, poor and minority communities are typically ignored in environmental communication because their white counterparts dominate the discourse. Recent scholarship suggests that people of color play a crucial role in fighting environmental discrimination because their cultural traditions, experiences, and histories allow them to uniquely communicate environmental risk and health concerns within their communities.
Empiricists and rationalists have proposed opposing theories of the acquisition of knowledge, which appear unable to coexist. Each theory holds its own strengths but does not demonstrate a strong argument in itself to the questions, “Is knowledge truly possible?” and “How is true knowledge obtained?”. Immanual Kant successfully merged the two philosophies and provided a convincing argument with his theory of empirical relativism, or what some may call constructivism. His theory bridges the gap between rationalism and empiricism and proves that empiricists and rationalists each present a piece of the full puzzle. In order to truly understand Kant’s epistemology, one must first review and understand both empiricism and rationalism on an impartial basis.
This waste should not be pressured upon a geographical area if they do not create it. A clean and healthy environment is the only thing many lesser-developed countries have to cherish.
Constructivism is a defined, when referring to the learner, as a "receptive act that involves construction of new meaning by learners within the context of their current knowledge, previous experience, and social environment" (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). Also, real life experiences and previous knowledge are the stepping stones to a constructivism, learning atmosphere. (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). Constructivism involves the learner being responsible for learning the material and, not necessarily, the teacher (Ely; Foley; Freeman & Scheel, 1995). When learning occurs, the goals, values, and beliefs of the individuals need to be linked to the new data. Also, in constructivism, the person, who is taking in the knowledge, can somehow filter, amend, and reformat the information that he or she feels is important to the schema (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). A constructivist learner uses the creative approach to apply their own meaning to a topic using the social and cognitive circumstances around themselves (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). A short and sweet summary of constructivism is "how one attains, develops, and uses cognitive processes" (Airasian & Walsh, 1997).
Solid waste pollution will always be an issue as long as human population increases everyday .solid waste is not only cause by household only, the industries as well have hand on environment pollution. And due to improper disposal system solid waste end up on the road. Solid waste have a huge effect on human life and can also cause death in animals as well, as people clean their houses everyday litter their trash everywhere this problem will not stop. But the most dangerous waste are those coming from the industries, because those waste end up in stream, rivers where it poisonous and have bad impact on the marine life. Industrial waste are the source of toxic metal and hazardous waste that effect soil characteristic and productivity of soil when dumped in ground. And the problem lies where some of the waste do not decompose. These solid waste are hazardous, Pesticides poisonous which is not health and life threatening to both humans and animals. People are very much aware of recycling to reduce pollution yet they still fail in doing so. Silt build in freshwater water ecosystems, caused by the unnecessarily agricultural activities smothers aquatic organisms. To reduce solid waste they should be recycled in such a way that do not harm the both the environment, water, air and human health. There are animals such as
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being
People should know the negative impact throwing away a water bottle or newspaper, purchasing meat from the grocery store or consuming gasoline has on the environment, and many do not. By informing society about how their decisions affect the environment, we can help save our planet and change our attitude toward the land we live on, the water we drink and the air we breathe” and truly show respect for the stuff that we depend on. The United States produces “about 8.25 billion tons of solid waste each year” (Russell 1). People do not realize the impact they have on our planet and the environment. When people throw anything in the trashcan, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet.