Energy and Place
Reflection
This project was about our sense of place and energy. For the past couple of weeks we have been learning about energy, and how it is effecting this planet. We picked a energy source and did lots of research on it to figure out more about if it would be good or not for us to use. A couple of guest speakers came in and talked to us about coal power, natural gas, fracking and solar power. We also read essays from Edward Abby about sense of place, which helped us see how you would write a sense of place essay. After reading those and talking about him a lot we then had a good understanding on how to write a paper about sense of place.
In my first draft I just focused on getting all my ideas out. I didn't do a great job of making everything flow very well and rhyme and I didn't try to use great word choice. I struggled after that with trying to change my word choice to use strong words and to get the whole thing to flow really well and rhyme. Also I didn't talk about where my sense of place was in my paper so I had to add that in while working on my next draft. I really tried hard to focus on getting my word choice on point, I really wanted to leave a big mark on people with my writing and I knew that if I used big word choice that goal would work way better. So I did lots of internet surfing to find words that I really liked that worked really well in my essay.
I really enjoyed this project. I found my sense of place because I have always just had this weird feeling when I am on my bike and up in the mountains. And I never really realized that was my place until we learned about sense of place, then I was like "wow, my sense of place isn't really a place, it is my bike. Whenever I'm on my bike I feel at home."' My environmental ethic has always been a mixture of conservation and preservation. I have always care about using things for awesome reasons but then paying attention to anything else I do and make sure I conserve what I do. And there are some places where I really just want to preserve, when I don't really want any humans to do anything to it. I think this project made me grow as a person through realizing what specific energy sources do to the environment. And I love the outdoors, I couldn't live without it, so I want to help impact what happens to the world because I care about it. I really liked this project. Going into it I thought that I was gonna hate it but I actually loved it. It was one of my favorite projects in my high school career. I also created a video for my sense of place essay that I had so much fun making. I thought that my video turned out really well. All my family, friends and peers told me that is was fantastic. I am very proud of the video I made. I think that was awesome because I think it helps people realized how serious my essay was because they could see what was happening and they could hear the tone in my voice. I just loved this project. I had a lot of fun doing it and I am very proud of my final product.
Technology Vs. Humanity
The land ethics of humanity, no one is more important than another, not even me…
And without all these trees, we will not be able to breathe.
Those who are consumed with making the big bucks are ignorant to all the wildlife running a-muck.
Who is to say what part of the land people take as they may, always a viewpoint of more and more pay.
A value placed on this mothership we call earth for personal gain, which is just creating all this pain.
We have introduced gas power, nuclear power, solar power, “we”, a powerful nation.
But “we” haven’t introduced the power of
conservation.
All we care about is innovation, we can never just settle for god's own creations.
We beg, we bleed, we scratch and claw, for bigger and better is all that we saw.
As we destroyed this very thing called life, our soils, our plants, our water, our air… it is all just becoming so trife. And we just don’t care…
All this technology is taking over, becoming an era of robots, just a bunch of have nots.
Cuz the earth is slowly dying you see, all this technology is messin with our ecology.
We once had land full of life, but now it’s disappearing because man is becoming so trife.
What is this word trife? Well…
“Google” says it’s a word that reflects one’s behavior in life, I keep repeating and I’ll tell ya it’s meaning cuz it’s when man consistently acts embarrassing and unfortunate.
We no longer think about staring up into the milky way...
But I do, and as I sit there, I pray that one day this foul play will just…
Go away…
From all this machinery what do we gain? The environment is in pain because mankind is so vain.
Entertainment, Information, knowledge, loneliness, disconnection.
Being on our computers all the time is making us...
Well...
“famous.”
Rich with friend requests.
We are popular, more liked, more connected…
But really…
Aren't we more…
Disconnected…?
And all those new “friends” are selected.
Because our standard now of self image has to be perfected.
On average four years of your life is spent looking down at your cell phone.
Because without it we will just feel so...
Alone.
I’ll ask my friends if they wanna come over and hang out
They say, “Nah, I got youtube, hulu and netflix… I’m just gonna stay home.”
Words are not used.
Takes too long.
So we say, OMG, SMH, LOL.
So how does one conversate when all we do is abbreviate…?
Imacs, Iphones, Ipads were made for I.
Me.
One. Single. Human. Being.
No we’s…
Just I’s.
The anti-socialism of facebook is just another “I”.
All about me. Not you at all. No we’s, no trees, no skies, no oceans.
Twitter is just another “I” motion society has made.
So Mr. Zuckerberg…
As you sit there and get paid billions for this “I” craze that somehow has everyone dazed, maybe you should shut off this thing called Facebook and sit around a dinner table with your family and take another look...
We are so quick to write an angry post instead of opening our hearts, our minds and our homes and be a gracious host.
ADD is on the rise but this should come as no surprise.
All this data I am receiving as I sit home alone I am grieving because it is all just a bunch of lies.
This land is intrinsic.
So important to the salvation of humanity and the preservation and conservation.
Intrinsic is the value of nature, as man must realize that to take and not give back will only cause our own demise.
Eventually all things will die and there will be no air to breathe because I was too busy on this cell phone to understand the intrinsic meaning of nature and for that I must…
Cry…
But we are better than that, we need to stop being so selfish.
Call up your friend, go to breakfast, be rebellious, turn off that cell phone.
We need to disconnect our selfless selves from technology.
We must become infected with nature once again.
Everything is interconnected, We are one with mother Earth.
And I for one have an undying love for the mountains and the forests.
The water and the air.
Because I do really care.
How I feel when mother nature lends me her good graces, as I ski down that mountain my heart just races, as I hike to that stream of water that’s so crystal clear, the buzzing of honeybees is all I hear.
These mountains are a gift to me as I ride my bike you see.
I take not for granted that I am able to ride peacefully and...
Just be.
These steps mankind are making need to be bigger or the destruction of our rain forests will be a devastating figure.
More than just man suffers from this devastating loss.
There are so many more beings that live off the earth, why has money and technology become all of our self worth?
Environmental sustainability is the leap we must take so turn off these laptops, Ipads and Iphones and stop being so fake.
Let us ALL as a community get into the power down zone and help save our planet because…
This my friends is your only home.
And without all these trees, we will not be able to breathe.
Those who are consumed with making the big bucks are ignorant to all the wildlife running a-muck.
Who is to say what part of the land people take as they may, always a viewpoint of more and more pay.
A value placed on this mothership we call earth for personal gain, which is just creating all this pain.
We have introduced gas power, nuclear power, solar power, “we”, a powerful nation.
But “we” haven’t introduced the power of
conservation.
All we care about is innovation, we can never just settle for god's own creations.
We beg, we bleed, we scratch and claw, for bigger and better is all that we saw.
As we destroyed this very thing called life, our soils, our plants, our water, our air… it is all just becoming so trife. And we just don’t care…
All this technology is taking over, becoming an era of robots, just a bunch of have nots.
Cuz the earth is slowly dying you see, all this technology is messin with our ecology.
We once had land full of life, but now it’s disappearing because man is becoming so trife.
What is this word trife? Well…
“Google” says it’s a word that reflects one’s behavior in life, I keep repeating and I’ll tell ya it’s meaning cuz it’s when man consistently acts embarrassing and unfortunate.
We no longer think about staring up into the milky way...
But I do, and as I sit there, I pray that one day this foul play will just…
Go away…
From all this machinery what do we gain? The environment is in pain because mankind is so vain.
Entertainment, Information, knowledge, loneliness, disconnection.
Being on our computers all the time is making us...
Well...
“famous.”
Rich with friend requests.
We are popular, more liked, more connected…
But really…
Aren't we more…
Disconnected…?
And all those new “friends” are selected.
Because our standard now of self image has to be perfected.
On average four years of your life is spent looking down at your cell phone.
Because without it we will just feel so...
Alone.
I’ll ask my friends if they wanna come over and hang out
They say, “Nah, I got youtube, hulu and netflix… I’m just gonna stay home.”
Words are not used.
Takes too long.
So we say, OMG, SMH, LOL.
So how does one conversate when all we do is abbreviate…?
Imacs, Iphones, Ipads were made for I.
Me.
One. Single. Human. Being.
No we’s…
Just I’s.
The anti-socialism of facebook is just another “I”.
All about me. Not you at all. No we’s, no trees, no skies, no oceans.
Twitter is just another “I” motion society has made.
So Mr. Zuckerberg…
As you sit there and get paid billions for this “I” craze that somehow has everyone dazed, maybe you should shut off this thing called Facebook and sit around a dinner table with your family and take another look...
We are so quick to write an angry post instead of opening our hearts, our minds and our homes and be a gracious host.
ADD is on the rise but this should come as no surprise.
All this data I am receiving as I sit home alone I am grieving because it is all just a bunch of lies.
This land is intrinsic.
So important to the salvation of humanity and the preservation and conservation.
Intrinsic is the value of nature, as man must realize that to take and not give back will only cause our own demise.
Eventually all things will die and there will be no air to breathe because I was too busy on this cell phone to understand the intrinsic meaning of nature and for that I must…
Cry…
But we are better than that, we need to stop being so selfish.
Call up your friend, go to breakfast, be rebellious, turn off that cell phone.
We need to disconnect our selfless selves from technology.
We must become infected with nature once again.
Everything is interconnected, We are one with mother Earth.
And I for one have an undying love for the mountains and the forests.
The water and the air.
Because I do really care.
How I feel when mother nature lends me her good graces, as I ski down that mountain my heart just races, as I hike to that stream of water that’s so crystal clear, the buzzing of honeybees is all I hear.
These mountains are a gift to me as I ride my bike you see.
I take not for granted that I am able to ride peacefully and...
Just be.
These steps mankind are making need to be bigger or the destruction of our rain forests will be a devastating figure.
More than just man suffers from this devastating loss.
There are so many more beings that live off the earth, why has money and technology become all of our self worth?
Environmental sustainability is the leap we must take so turn off these laptops, Ipads and Iphones and stop being so fake.
Let us ALL as a community get into the power down zone and help save our planet because…
This my friends is your only home.
Happiness and Meaning Project
Essential Questions
What is the purpose of your existence?
What is happiness and what makes you happy?
What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
To what extent can literature shape your personal philosophy on happiness and meaning?
What is happiness and what makes you happy?
What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
To what extent can literature shape your personal philosophy on happiness and meaning?
Project Description Handout
Visual Piece
Reflection
Over the course of this project I have really contemplated life. I have thought about my life and how I want to life it. Since my project was on impermanence and how everyone you know will be taken away from you I really had thought about all of my relationships. I have thought about if I want to hold on tighter and embrace the fact that they will be gone one day or if I want to live a life of no attachments. I really enjoyed thinking about these things because it also makes me wonder what other people think about this topic. I have shown my video to a couple of my friends and they all have said that it was really good and my goal of trying to make people contemplate life was successful. I thoroughly liked this project, I loved talking about this. This was by far my favorite project so far, and it probably will always be my favorite project.
How many people actually think about this?
How do other people respond to this?
Do you think this is fair? Why or why not?
Do you agree with my statement about you have to have sadness in your life in order to be happy and live meaningfully?
When you take pictures of something or someone, what are you thinking about? Why are you taking those pictures?
How many people actually think about this?
How do other people respond to this?
Do you think this is fair? Why or why not?
Do you agree with my statement about you have to have sadness in your life in order to be happy and live meaningfully?
When you take pictures of something or someone, what are you thinking about? Why are you taking those pictures?
Written Piece
There is this essay written by Sigmund Freud called “On transience” and in it he talks about a conversation that he had with the famous poet Rainer Maria Rilke as they were walking through the woods. And at one point Rilke looked like he was about to tear up and Freud said “what’s wrong, it’s a beautiful day, there are beautiful plants around us, this is magnificent.” And Rilke says “well can’t get over the fact that one day all of this is going to die, all these trees, all these plants, all this life is going to decay. All of this will dissolve in meaninglessness when you think about the fact that impermanence is a really real thing.” And this really struck me because thinking about the fact that everyone I love, everyone I know will be gone is a terrifying thought to have. Knowing this, should we hold on closer? Hold on tighter? Or should we live like the buddhist culture and live a life with no attachments? Why should we have to decide, this is so unfair. Yes, life is unfair, but this? Don’t you agree? To have your loved ones, the people you are close to erased from your life forever? Permanently? I mean yeah, sometimes in life these loved ones upset you, make you cry, make you wonder why you care about them so much. But Camau once said, “life should be lived to the point of tears.” And I think that this is how life should be lived. In my opinion you can’t live a happy and meaningful life without the sadness, the tears, the anxiousness, the sorrow, the regret.
I believe stepping outside your comfort zone is a key to happiness. You have to push yourself and experience new things. That could be pushing your sport, pushing your career, falling in love. You see when we are in love we are happy but at the same time there is a certain sadness in our lives because we know that one day the person you love will be taken away from you. Love comes with a price, and that is sadness. Love and sadness live in the same space, you don’t get just one of them. When you lose love, when you lose someone in whose arms you felt at home, you felt the promise of forever, you wonder... what happened….
You see we can only experience a moment before it is poof, gone. But with tools like the camera, all of the sudden we are extending the eye, to freeze frame, to hold in stasis, that passing moment. Effectively immortalizing the most elusive things we know, which is the now. And we do this because we are preparing the memories we want to look back upon in the future. We are known as the instagram generation. We experience the present as an anticipated memory. We are designing what we want to reflect upon at a later time. And we are taking the time to decide what that later moment will feel like. and we do this because what happens in the present is and then is isn’t. It is gone like this (*Snap). In an instant. And we can’t bare to deal with that. I don’t think that this is a bad thing, I think it’s fascinating, It liberates our desire to be artists, to be the authors of our own lives, to decide how we remember things, how we deal with the fact that every moment passes. How we deal with that tragedy. So yes, the present is lived as an anticipated memory because that is all we have is the anticipated memory. The present is gone…. Impermanence is a really real thing…. And this haunts me…. But we deal with it.
I believe stepping outside your comfort zone is a key to happiness. You have to push yourself and experience new things. That could be pushing your sport, pushing your career, falling in love. You see when we are in love we are happy but at the same time there is a certain sadness in our lives because we know that one day the person you love will be taken away from you. Love comes with a price, and that is sadness. Love and sadness live in the same space, you don’t get just one of them. When you lose love, when you lose someone in whose arms you felt at home, you felt the promise of forever, you wonder... what happened….
You see we can only experience a moment before it is poof, gone. But with tools like the camera, all of the sudden we are extending the eye, to freeze frame, to hold in stasis, that passing moment. Effectively immortalizing the most elusive things we know, which is the now. And we do this because we are preparing the memories we want to look back upon in the future. We are known as the instagram generation. We experience the present as an anticipated memory. We are designing what we want to reflect upon at a later time. And we are taking the time to decide what that later moment will feel like. and we do this because what happens in the present is and then is isn’t. It is gone like this (*Snap). In an instant. And we can’t bare to deal with that. I don’t think that this is a bad thing, I think it’s fascinating, It liberates our desire to be artists, to be the authors of our own lives, to decide how we remember things, how we deal with the fact that every moment passes. How we deal with that tragedy. So yes, the present is lived as an anticipated memory because that is all we have is the anticipated memory. The present is gone…. Impermanence is a really real thing…. And this haunts me…. But we deal with it.
Morality And Politics Of Justice
Reflection
This project focused on us picking a topic of a political issue that we are interested in and did lots of independent research about that topic so that we could create an Op Ed and a visual art piece that we can present to the public. Going up to this project we learned many things like ethos, pathos, logos, we learned about philosophers and what their philosophies are. We also watched a little bit of the presidential debates to see how they use rhetoric to convince their audience of things.
I made a lot of changes to my Op Ed before I got to my final draft. One of the big things that I changed was that my paragraphs were very repetitive. My first three paragraphs said almost the same exact thing just in different wording. I also added in a paragraph that talks about physical violence against women, I also changed some of my facts and evidence around so they made more sense. I changed my conclusion because it just wasn’t a very good one, it i didn’t wrap up my Op Ed in the way I wanted it to. I also did not talk about any moral philosophies in my original draft, so I added a paragraph about John Rawls’ idea of equal opportunity and how people should think about gender inequality using the veil of ignorance. Those were the major changes that I made, most of everything else was just small changes like capitalization, grammar, fixing run-on sentences, etc.
I created posters that help promote abuse against women and sexual assault. I partnered up with SASO which is an organization in Durango that helps people who have been/or are being sexualy assaulted. I put their information on my posters so that people who need help can contact SASO. I plan to post some around town in places where people will see them, like in bathrooms or on street corners. I want to spread awareness on this issue because people need to know more about this. I chose to use Disney characters because I thought that they make the biggest impact emotionally. For me personally whenever someone is making an argument the way that they will convince me the most would be to use pathos. Emotional evidence or arguments always impact me the most, so I thought I would use that for my visual piece.
I have learned that everyone may not agree with your opinion, so you need to be aware of that. I have also learned that in order to expand your knowledge of something you need to be open to other people’s opinions. Some people like evidence in the form of facts and numbers while others like it in the form of something emotional. I think that you can use both of these in the right way and you can easily persuade your audience. Understanding rhetoric has made me better at talking to people. I think that now I know about all of these tactics that people use to persuade you I can avoid them and point out when someone is attempting to use them. I enjoyed learning about rhetoric the most because I use persuasion in my everyday life, so being able to think in this new way because I know more about it will help me with that. I have learned that questioning people’s ideas will help create a deep conversation with them. I like making people think deeper about what they said/think. I want to dig deep into their brain and have them explain what they believe. I think that the most challenging part of this project was writing my Op Ed. I thought that this was the hardest part because I didn’t know what to say in my Op Ed. I had all of my research done and I had things to talk about but I just didn’t know how to go about putting them into words and how to structure them. But in the end it turned out great.
I made a lot of changes to my Op Ed before I got to my final draft. One of the big things that I changed was that my paragraphs were very repetitive. My first three paragraphs said almost the same exact thing just in different wording. I also added in a paragraph that talks about physical violence against women, I also changed some of my facts and evidence around so they made more sense. I changed my conclusion because it just wasn’t a very good one, it i didn’t wrap up my Op Ed in the way I wanted it to. I also did not talk about any moral philosophies in my original draft, so I added a paragraph about John Rawls’ idea of equal opportunity and how people should think about gender inequality using the veil of ignorance. Those were the major changes that I made, most of everything else was just small changes like capitalization, grammar, fixing run-on sentences, etc.
I created posters that help promote abuse against women and sexual assault. I partnered up with SASO which is an organization in Durango that helps people who have been/or are being sexualy assaulted. I put their information on my posters so that people who need help can contact SASO. I plan to post some around town in places where people will see them, like in bathrooms or on street corners. I want to spread awareness on this issue because people need to know more about this. I chose to use Disney characters because I thought that they make the biggest impact emotionally. For me personally whenever someone is making an argument the way that they will convince me the most would be to use pathos. Emotional evidence or arguments always impact me the most, so I thought I would use that for my visual piece.
I have learned that everyone may not agree with your opinion, so you need to be aware of that. I have also learned that in order to expand your knowledge of something you need to be open to other people’s opinions. Some people like evidence in the form of facts and numbers while others like it in the form of something emotional. I think that you can use both of these in the right way and you can easily persuade your audience. Understanding rhetoric has made me better at talking to people. I think that now I know about all of these tactics that people use to persuade you I can avoid them and point out when someone is attempting to use them. I enjoyed learning about rhetoric the most because I use persuasion in my everyday life, so being able to think in this new way because I know more about it will help me with that. I have learned that questioning people’s ideas will help create a deep conversation with them. I like making people think deeper about what they said/think. I want to dig deep into their brain and have them explain what they believe. I think that the most challenging part of this project was writing my Op Ed. I thought that this was the hardest part because I didn’t know what to say in my Op Ed. I had all of my research done and I had things to talk about but I just didn’t know how to go about putting them into words and how to structure them. But in the end it turned out great.
Voices From The Animas
Here is a LINK TO MY INTERVIEW with Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad employees Kyle Colley and Jonathan Smith.
Project Reflection
My interview went very well; I spoke with Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad employees Kyle Colley and Jonathan Smith. I think that the biggest take away for me was the fact that I understand what they are going through. Their business did take a hit from the spill, but they also got more tourists who were interested in what happened. Everyday on the train people ask them about what happened, Kyle said that some days they talk more about the spill than about the train and the history of it. I thought the hardest part was coming up with questions to ask, I came up with a few really good ones, but I know that I could have gotten more if I wanted to. There wasn’t really anything that I would have wanted to change about my interview; I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A lot of my perspective is on weather or not this could have been prevented, and if the EPA did it on purpose. I believe that this spill could have been prevented, I think that there are many precautions that the EPA should have used in order to prevent this, but they obviously did not. One big one I think is important is that they could have started but drilling a hole at the top of the mine so they could see what was inside. If you watch this video (https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story) that was taken by EPA officials, you can see that they had the machinery to check for the water level. Also it shows you how much water 3 million gallons really is. In my head, I wasn’t fully sure what 3 million gallons looked like but now I know how much water that really is. They did not take the time to be careful, which brings up the subject of weather or not they did it on purpose.
I am not fully sure if they did it on purpose yet but you could pick either side. If they did do it on purpose, you could see evidence that they did because they wanted a superfund to happen. According to Durango Herald article “Is Silverton Ready For Cleanup?” the EPA has been trying to get Silverton to okay a superfund for 20 years. Also if you think about them not drilling into the top of the mine to check water levels, that also may push towards it being on purpose. I am leaning towards it being on purpose but I will never be 100% on that side, and nobody will ever know for sure if it was unless the EPA says so.
I think that my perspective grew throughout this project. Since this project was about finding different perspectives about the spill, which helped me grow. I think that it helped me be able to now understand better what other people’s perspectives are on all topics. I also enjoyed hearing about the train and what Kyle and Jonathan’s perspectives about the spill were. I had fun taking with them about it; even after the interview we have a conversation about it.
A lot of my perspective is on weather or not this could have been prevented, and if the EPA did it on purpose. I believe that this spill could have been prevented, I think that there are many precautions that the EPA should have used in order to prevent this, but they obviously did not. One big one I think is important is that they could have started but drilling a hole at the top of the mine so they could see what was inside. If you watch this video (https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story) that was taken by EPA officials, you can see that they had the machinery to check for the water level. Also it shows you how much water 3 million gallons really is. In my head, I wasn’t fully sure what 3 million gallons looked like but now I know how much water that really is. They did not take the time to be careful, which brings up the subject of weather or not they did it on purpose.
I am not fully sure if they did it on purpose yet but you could pick either side. If they did do it on purpose, you could see evidence that they did because they wanted a superfund to happen. According to Durango Herald article “Is Silverton Ready For Cleanup?” the EPA has been trying to get Silverton to okay a superfund for 20 years. Also if you think about them not drilling into the top of the mine to check water levels, that also may push towards it being on purpose. I am leaning towards it being on purpose but I will never be 100% on that side, and nobody will ever know for sure if it was unless the EPA says so.
I think that my perspective grew throughout this project. Since this project was about finding different perspectives about the spill, which helped me grow. I think that it helped me be able to now understand better what other people’s perspectives are on all topics. I also enjoyed hearing about the train and what Kyle and Jonathan’s perspectives about the spill were. I had fun taking with them about it; even after the interview we have a conversation about it.
Seminar Prep
Could the spill have been prevented and if so, how?
I believe that the spill could have been prevented. The spill could have been prevented if the EPA took more caution with poking a hole in the mine wall. I think that if the EPA drilled into the top of the mine to check the water level all of this could have been avoided. The video I watched of the mine spill was unbelievable, I could tell that just from watching the video of the EPA people that they knew that they messed up bad.
https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story
In what ways did the EPA benefit and lose from the spill?
I think that the EPA benefited and lost many things because of this “accident.” In the video I watched it looked like it was an accident but it was hard to tell because a lot of the sound was blanked out. I believe that the EPA could get big benefits from this; they could get an okay for doing a superfund in Silverton, which has been pushed away for many years. Also this incident may make other big mining towns want a superfund cleanup so that something like this waste spill doesn’t happen in their town. The EPA lost their “good reputation,” because they released 3 million gallons of toxic water into the Animas whether it was an accident or not, lots of people hate the EPA and are blaming them for this problem that has gone all over global news.
https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story
What is the best solution to both ensure economic prosperity and environmental health for current and future generations?
I think that on order to ensure economic prosperity and environmental health for the present and the future Silverton should avoid the superfund. When I spoke to Scott Fetch in Silverton on Thursday the 10th of September, he talked about the superfund. He said that if a superfund would be passed, it would take like 15 to 20 years until they would actually start cleaning up the mine sites. He said this would happen because the EPA would come in and go check out all of the mines and do things like that. Then Scott said that a good way to ensure economic and environmental prosperity Silverton should put a water treatment plant in to treat the contaminated water. I believe that this would be the best way to keep the environment safe because this will last until we want to stop using it. Also, putting in a treatment plant will not take 15 to 20 years, so we will be able to treat our toxic water sooner rather then in 20 years. Ether of these options will cost lots of money but I think that the best one to choose for the best and result I would say the treatment plant by far.
How was the river polluted before the spill?
The river was very polluted before the spill, we just couldn’t tell because it didn’t change color. The river was polluted because there are many mines up in Silverton that are leaking into Mineral Creek and Cement Creek which is going downstream into the Animas. These mines have been leaking for decades and have always been contaminating our river. Also we have been contaminating the river with our waste (garbage, waste, etc.). For example, last year the poop plant dropped a bunch of waste into the river. That hurt the river, but we didn’t care as much because it wasn’t as noticeable in color.
How has the history of mining impacted the debate on this issue?
The history has impacted this issue because mining is important if we want these things like computers, smart phones, TVs, etc. Minerals are a huge part in our lives but we can extract them without mining, but mining has hurt our environment so much because of the waste that is created in closed up mines. Mining has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and it has always hurt our environment. The history of mining in Silverton specifically has impacted the choice of having a superfund to clean up the old mines so that stuff like this incident doesn’t happen again but Silverton doesn’t want to do that because the old mines and old century feel to the town brings hundreds of thousands of tourist to its little town. Mining in general has impacted this issue about what to do for the future a lot.
I believe that the spill could have been prevented. The spill could have been prevented if the EPA took more caution with poking a hole in the mine wall. I think that if the EPA drilled into the top of the mine to check the water level all of this could have been avoided. The video I watched of the mine spill was unbelievable, I could tell that just from watching the video of the EPA people that they knew that they messed up bad.
https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story
In what ways did the EPA benefit and lose from the spill?
I think that the EPA benefited and lost many things because of this “accident.” In the video I watched it looked like it was an accident but it was hard to tell because a lot of the sound was blanked out. I believe that the EPA could get big benefits from this; they could get an okay for doing a superfund in Silverton, which has been pushed away for many years. Also this incident may make other big mining towns want a superfund cleanup so that something like this waste spill doesn’t happen in their town. The EPA lost their “good reputation,” because they released 3 million gallons of toxic water into the Animas whether it was an accident or not, lots of people hate the EPA and are blaming them for this problem that has gone all over global news.
https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Douglas.Canfield/videos/1648111835426695/?pnref=story
What is the best solution to both ensure economic prosperity and environmental health for current and future generations?
I think that on order to ensure economic prosperity and environmental health for the present and the future Silverton should avoid the superfund. When I spoke to Scott Fetch in Silverton on Thursday the 10th of September, he talked about the superfund. He said that if a superfund would be passed, it would take like 15 to 20 years until they would actually start cleaning up the mine sites. He said this would happen because the EPA would come in and go check out all of the mines and do things like that. Then Scott said that a good way to ensure economic and environmental prosperity Silverton should put a water treatment plant in to treat the contaminated water. I believe that this would be the best way to keep the environment safe because this will last until we want to stop using it. Also, putting in a treatment plant will not take 15 to 20 years, so we will be able to treat our toxic water sooner rather then in 20 years. Ether of these options will cost lots of money but I think that the best one to choose for the best and result I would say the treatment plant by far.
How was the river polluted before the spill?
The river was very polluted before the spill, we just couldn’t tell because it didn’t change color. The river was polluted because there are many mines up in Silverton that are leaking into Mineral Creek and Cement Creek which is going downstream into the Animas. These mines have been leaking for decades and have always been contaminating our river. Also we have been contaminating the river with our waste (garbage, waste, etc.). For example, last year the poop plant dropped a bunch of waste into the river. That hurt the river, but we didn’t care as much because it wasn’t as noticeable in color.
How has the history of mining impacted the debate on this issue?
The history has impacted this issue because mining is important if we want these things like computers, smart phones, TVs, etc. Minerals are a huge part in our lives but we can extract them without mining, but mining has hurt our environment so much because of the waste that is created in closed up mines. Mining has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and it has always hurt our environment. The history of mining in Silverton specifically has impacted the choice of having a superfund to clean up the old mines so that stuff like this incident doesn’t happen again but Silverton doesn’t want to do that because the old mines and old century feel to the town brings hundreds of thousands of tourist to its little town. Mining in general has impacted this issue about what to do for the future a lot.
Seminar Self-Assesment
I think that I should get somewhere between 85-95 on the seminar. I believe that I should get this grade because I think that I did well. I completely showed my perspective by offering my opinion, offering new ideas and connections, and by challenging other students’ ideas. I also think I did a good job with using evidence, I didn’t use hard copy evidence but I used my interview with Kyle and Jonathan about the train and I used the guest speaker from the Silverton school. I believe that I demonstrated active listening to my peers, I helped clarify a student’s idea for the group, I asked clarifying questions to ideas, and I invited people who weren’t getting the chance to speak into the conversation. I asked a few questions that seemed to help the conversation take a turn and change perspectives, and I also helped the people who were a little quieter be herd by getting the groups attention to let that person speak. I think that I contributed to the group in an effective way so that is why I think I should get an 85-95 on this seminar.
I think I did well in the seminar; I think did well at providing a different perspective and other options for solutions to the problem. I also thought that it was helpful to bring up a tourists perspective because tourists help our towns economically, so I brought that perspective up for the group to think about. I believe that I could do better in the future by referencing articles or books more because I realized that I did not do that in today’s seminar.
I think I did well in the seminar; I think did well at providing a different perspective and other options for solutions to the problem. I also thought that it was helpful to bring up a tourists perspective because tourists help our towns economically, so I brought that perspective up for the group to think about. I believe that I could do better in the future by referencing articles or books more because I realized that I did not do that in today’s seminar.