There is always the question, can I, one person, really make a difference? The answer I found is if I don’t do anything at all then nothing for sure will change, but if I do something no matter how small or big, things at least have the possibility to change.
I have been keeping very busy with my internship duties, some tedious but meaningful and helpful for Indiana Living Green. I have recently posted about 35 eco-organizations to the ILG website which gives people information about who they are, what they do, and how you can get involved. This information is free and useful for anyone looking to live and travel more sustainably.
I am also researching environmental jargon and writing pieces on each term and there are at least 30 terms to complete. This is helping me and others understand what things like PVC’s, colony collapse and tipping point are. This information is vital to understand what problems humans have created and the consequences to our irresponsible actions from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution to now.
For example, all the vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, found in the environment is caused or produced by humans. It is released into the atmosphere, ground water, and has been found at hazardous waste sites. People living by and working at PVC manufacturing plants are exposed to much higher levels of vinyl chloride through the inhalation of contaminated air.
According to the FDA their evidence collected from studies done says exposure to high levels of DEHP, an ingredient used to increase flexibility in PVC, can affect the development of the male reproductive system and production of normal sperm in animals. There have not yet been reports of this happening to humans but no studies have been done to rule it out either.
When thinking about system condition #2, which states that in a sustainable society nature is not subject to systematic increases in concentrations of substances produced by society, I am making a contribution by making people aware of what exactly substances produced by society are. These substances can include plastics, rubbers, synthetic material, and of course PVC.
I hope in the future I can do more to contribute to this condition and maybe I am now I just don’t realize it yet. I do think that information is powerful and with the invention of social media it has the power to reach farther and wider than ever before.
“If we make a career of being unaccountable, we have lost something essential to our humanity, and we may well become a burden or a threat to those around us.”- Scott Russell Sanders
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