Ocean Garbage Patch

This article was written by Beth Buczynski. It explains about the never ending consumption the goes into our ocean.  Buczynski explain that the Australian Research Council Centre discover that no matter how much we manage to put effort to clean the ocean, this will be nearly impossible to clean completely. I was surprise when she mention about the trash can live pass from their owners. Buczynski talks about the 5 gyres which are major ocean basins that collects waste from different countries. It's funny how these gyres exchange trash by using their currents to transport them. Although Buczynski include that scientist had also discover the sixth gyres that is barely forming. The scientist announced that the sixth gyres will be completely form in 50 years. In the article, Dr. Van Sebille believes that not a single country is responsible since all the trash ends in garbage patch. In the other hand, I believe every country should be responsible since we all drink the same water. They all should react together to solve this problem so we can prevent the sixth gyres and also to clean our ocean. No matter how impossible this can be, the only way we know if we all try.

Chapter 5

In chapter 5, Humes start off with a woman's point of view name Mary Cowell. Cowell sails this ship called Kaisei that is identify as ocean planet in Japanese. She had sailed almost her entire life to discover that her trail in the ocean that she use to take is now floating with trash. Corwell explains that forty years ago the ocean was empty. It's interesting because not only our society change but also our waste. Now the plastic that is found in our ocean is also harming our fishes. Humes also explains a current in the ocean called the 5 gyres. It surprise me that the ocean's current has these cycles that can transport trash to different country's beaches, in other words it can't be in one place. It's shocking how Alaska's ocean contains a reversal cycle, therefore their trash returns back to their beaches. It's sad as I read about the young sperm whale that was discover dead, even though it seem healthy.  Until it was discover that the sperm whale contain about 450 pounds of plastic. It's our fault that these living water creatures are dying. We all need to prevent our trash from entering our ocean because if we don't soon these fishes would all die, therefore we would never take another bite of them again.

Ch.4 Response

    In this Chapter Edward Humes inform us a guy name David Steiner who loves landfills. He's America's king of trash because for him trash is like buried treasure. He believes that there always going to be landfills and that it's part of his core of business. What shock me was a dull immigrant  had started the biggest garbage company in the world named Harm Huizenga. Although his son, Tom Huizenga died so he pass on his duties to Tom's son in law. Humes also explain that the neighbors around Puente Hills were complaining how they burn the trash and the smoke Dioxins was really harmful. Although even if the people who won by stop burning trash, the Council members had post that Puente Hills would be L.A and many cities trash destination until 2013. Which in the end of this year, Puente Hills will be close down and the council members will soon select a new landfill.

365 Days of Trash

     This article was really impressive. I can believe a guy actually saved his trash over a year. This person name was Dave and he wanted to do a project to see what happens to trash if he place it on a small basement. So he thought hard what he actually need or else he fills up his basement. It really surprise me how he can manage to save all his trash and the museum was amaze about it. Dave didnt actually know what to do about the trash but luckily the museum ask if he can donate it to them. In this way, I believe we should waist less because if one guy can do it then so can we.

Joy of garbage

       This article was really interesting. It mention about how the government cared more to the  corporations than the people. The video explain how the corporation has took over one-third of the planet natural resources. Which is leaving out berly 4% of U.S forest. I was getting scared how it also said about pillows containing chemicals and other types of products. It makes me feel like the government doesn't really care what happens to us. All he cares about is his golden arrow which makes us consumer keep the flow of shopping. This shows that the government and the corporation doesn't care how much we produce trash but to produce more goods. I believe we shouldn't let the corporation persuade us to buy new things but to save and use materials that still work.

Interview Edward Humes

          The interview with Edward Humes and host by Terry Gross was really interesting. This article really help me understand how the methane was being created by trash. Also how they use it to produce electricity. Its shocking how Humes said the electricity consume by the trash can generate enough electricity to power over 70,000 homes. Another thing that catch my attention was plastic materials. There are little plastic particles called plankton that been drop to the ocean and its getting into the food chain. Which means fishes in the ocean has been eating these plankton and about 10 percent has been discovered inside them. It startle me because these plastic can lead to fishes that we eat! Including the trash that takes up over 40 percent in the whole globe. Humes also mention about a company name Patagonia that has the best idea for his customers and the environment. He mentions that Patagonia tells their customers to bring back what they bought, if they don't want it no more. They use the return items and create something else out of it. So I wonder why we don't have a company that can lower our dumping. Hopefully soon enough America would view this and seek to help decrease our trash.

Chapter 3 responses

 In chapter 3, Edward Humes discusses how America's plastic dramatically has increase over sixty-three times thrown in the trash as in 1960. This shows that plastic wasn't really used back around the 19th century. All this happen until Coca-Cola decided to use plastic instead of reusable glass as sodas container. They chose this decision knowing it would lower their wieght and cost. Especially discovering that the company doesn't need to pay a dime because the cost was external. Humes explains how after they use this cycle, an increase of plastic are being sold along with being the second weightiest component of garbage which was really interesting. Although J. Gordon Lippincott's vision for buisness really annoyed me. His way of seeing things was that the more consumers buy, the more good fortune America would become. I didn't like the fact that he persuaded the consumers to disregard useful materials and buy better ones or else our economy would fall. This has cause an increase of trash to be placed on. In the other hand, something else Humes wrote in this chapter catch my attention "crimes". I never thought the workers in the landfills would actually find a deceased body. I always watch movies about dumping a body or rolling into a carpet but, I would never thought it would be discovered at the landfills. In any case, I hope this can persuade the people not to throw off useful things and to recycle their plastic because this is the only way to loose this race of trash.

Ch.2 Response

Jorge Tapia
Eng. 113a

Chapter 2

As I read chapter 2 I seriously was surprised about New York. I never heard of New York being the most foulest, smelliest, and dirtiest city. It was interesting how the people in New York use pigs to consume some of the garbage but it didn't work because they needed to drop their own. Another interesting fact was the "White Wings". They help out clean all the streets especially the poorest part of town. What really annoyed me was the people in Los Angeles ignore the law of burning trash from their backyard knowing how bad was the air quality. Although they listen after the five-hundred-dollar fine and jail was posted then people stop. Finally the government and the industry find away to deal with the trash which wasn't good because it filled up certain places.

Chap1 Response

Jorge Tapia
Eng. 113A

Chapter 1

While I was reading Garbology in Chapter 1 it was really surprising how so much trash that was put in Puente Hills. It contains over 130 million tons and still counting. Its really interesting how Puente Hills is really big that holds over 1,356 acres which makes me want to think how it really looks like with full of trash. What annoys me is that the Los Angeles leaders would dump trash secretly without notifying the public. Also when they questioned about where should they place the trash but I really like what Edward's question was "Why do we have so much trash, and what might we do to make less of it?" In other words the leaders should actually think about that question instead of looking for more places to dump trash.