...The meat production process is one of the most wasteful industries in the world. There is a huge water waste in raising and processing the meat. To produce 1 kilogram of pork, 4800 liters are used, and 1 kilogram of poultry uses 3300 liters. Compared to the average usage to produce corn is 616 liters per kilogram (Yacoubou). To make one hamburger (150 grams) 2400 liters of water is used compared to one apple (100 grams) uses only 70 liters of water (Yacoubou). It is apparent that much more water is wasted in the production of meat than fruits or vegetables. At this rate, by 2050, two-thirds of the world will lack clean water to meet basic needs (Yacoubou). The amount of water used during production does not compare to all of the water wasted in meat production. Tons of water each year is wasted through the pollution that the meat production industry causes. Not only is water wasted daily by this process, but grains are used too. Grains are used to feed the animals, and “‘One pound of grain-in’ does not equal ‘one pound of meat out’” (Yacoubou). About 7.37 kilograms of grain are used to produce only 1 kilogram of beef, about 4.2 kilograms of grains to produce 1 kilogram of pork, and about 2.12 kilograms of grain for 1 kilogram of chicken (Yacoubou). Over 10 billion animals are raised for food in the United States alone every year. The U.S. consumes 30 percent of all...
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...Wasted Water Water is the most important resource to human life and without it we would perish very quickly. “We could survive for several weeks without food, but for only a few days without freshwater” (Miller & Spoolman, 2013, p.238). Water also plays a key role in shaping the earth’s surface, controlling the climate and helping to remove and dilute some of the pollutants that exist (Miller & Spoolman, 2013). If that is the case, why do we take such huge advantage of this valuable resource? One reason I believe we do is there is a belief that exists in all of us that water is abundant and will always be here. There is some truth to that by the amount of water that is here on earth but this is deceiving because that is sea water and the salt levels in sea water is too high for us to consume or use in our homes and lives like we do now. But regardless of how important this source is, we continue to waste it and at a good rate. “According to water resource expert Mohamed El-Ashry of World Resources institute, about 66% of the freshwater used in the world and about 50% of the freshwater used in the United States is unnecessarily wasted” (Miller & Spoolman, 2013, p. 251). He goes on to state that if we can reduce our waste to 15%, that would be enough to meet the water needs of the world for the foreseeable future (Miller & Spoolman, 2013). I chose critical thinking question number four at the end of chapter 11 which asks to calculate how many liters and gallons of water are...
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...Current Business Practices Audit Kimberly Johnson, Richard Siemienczuk, Karen Graham, and Chad Smestad MGT/360 December 3, 2012 Vicki Bauer Current Business Practices Audit The learning team conducted an audit of Riordan Manufacturing’s current business practices at its processing plants located in California, Georgia, Michigan, and China. The business sustainability worksheets used to complete the evaluation aided the team in locating common areas of non-sustainable practices relating to land, water, and air pollution. The three non-sustainable practices evaluated further are solid waste, and hazardous waste causing land pollution, hazardous waste causing water pollution, and gaseous waste causing air pollution. These areas are the most harmful to the immediate population, which includes the plant workers and the communities. Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Causing Land Pollution One of the non-sustainable practices is adding to land pollution. Currently, off-spec materials are sent to the landfill (Apollo, 2012). In addition to this, scrap plastic managed as waste goes to the landfill (Apollo). The biggest problem is that plastic is not biodegradable. When plastic and off-spec products are sent to the landfill, breakdown occurs but at minimal rates and these take longer to biodegrade over time. To remain compliant with government regulations, Riordan Manufacturing is required to identify hazardous waste generated each month if it exceeds 2,200 pounds (Apollo...
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...When our non renewable sources start becoming harder to obtain, the price to use them goes up. The majority of the energy we use comes from non renewable sources. Energy is wasted daily basis. Leaving lights on during the day, leaving televisions on when no one is watching it, having multiple electronics plugged in to the wall instead of a surge protector, leaving the air conditioner running when no one is home, and doing laundry all throughout the day instead of doing it when the rates of electricity is lower are all ways that energy is wasted. A good way to stop the wasting of energy is to avoid those mentioned activities. These are just small things people can change in order to conserve energy, and if everyone would do it, it could make a big difference. The issue of energy conservation has both living and non living contributing factors. The biggest living contributing factor to the wasting of energy is humans. Humans are wasteful, and take our non renewable sources for granted, because they do not understand that they can be depleted, and most people just do not care and are ignorant about the wasting of the non renewable sources. At the rate that the population is increasingly getting larger, what little non renewable sources we have left are being wasted and may...
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...The Challenges Facing Electric Utilities The electric utility industry is extremely important in the United States. In recent years, there have been many changes to this industry which has led to some interesting challenges. Some of these challenges include, “…new technologies, tighter environmental regulations, regulatory pressures and changing customer preferences” (Oskvig). These challenges are something that need to be overcome due to the urgency of their nature. A key challenge that needs to be addressed is the issue of energy that has been wasted due to lost electricity. The industry of electric utility needs to attempt to deal with the issue of lost energy. There is a huge amount, totaling to, “…a whopping $40 billion [that] is wasted in lost electricity, natural gas and water resources in the U.S. alone” (Pyper). Even though this amount includes natural gas and water resources, one can still see the great affect that this waste has on the electric utility industry. In order to fix this issue, there needs to be a better, more effective way for people to save this energy that is being wasted. Scientists must be able to develop a more reliable method for storing electric energy in order to be more efficient. With the saved energy, we will be able to become much more efficient and effective in electrical usage. All-in-all, the electric utility industry has a few issues that it needs to address in order to become as efficient as possible. Whether it be new technology...
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...a step back and evaluate which plastic products are necessities and which are not in order to help save the environment. Ways to reduce the amount of plastic in society is needed to reduce the amount of harm to the environment because the plastics that are being used are taking over landfills, getting into the water supply, and causing a lot of harm to the ecosystem (Ginis. 2008). Turning away from plastic completely may not be possible, but usage can be reduced and the amount used in daily lives can be altered. On a global scale human dependence on plastic is entirely too high which means that on average the amount of plastic each person uses and wastes is too high as well. Over one hundred million tons of plastic is produced annually and out of all that plastic over fourteen million tons end up in the oceans harming and killing marine life (Raja 2011). It is hard to imagine one hundred million tons of plastic, but cars, cell phones, and computers that are purchased are made of a large amount of plastic. It’s not likely that those large plastic objects will end up floating in the ocean; however, there are also numerous small objects that are overlooked, such as water bottles and food wrappings made...
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...Environmental Impact of Raising Animals for Food Sue Saffel Everest Institute The current methods of raising livestock are harmful. These methods use too much land, water, and feed that are greatly wasted and polluted, and become a threat to public health. Even though they live and end their lives as victims, the animals themselves end up being part of the problems. Many people, especially Americans, are killing themselves by the forkful. The cost of raising animals for food is passed on to the consumer in more ways than most would imagine. Raising cattle, for example, incurs more than just the expenses for feed, water, and medical care. Someone has to pay for the purchase of new land when the existing acreage is degraded and no longer able to grow any plant life. When the water supply becomes so polluted that it cannot be used, even for irrigation, someone has to pay the cost of obtaining a new source. When we go to the grocery store and check the cost of a certain cut of meat, a low price makes us think that our food comes cheap, but these prices don’t show the expense of cleaning up farm pollution or the immense government subsidies to agriculture. In 1996 the United States government spent $68 billion on agriculture, which translated to $259 per consumer and even more per taxpayer (Environmental Health Perspectives May, 2002). Of all the arable land in use, two-thirds is devoted to growing feed for livestock, while only eight percent is used to grow...
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...increasing water issue. The demand continues to increase, while the supply is decreasing at an alarming rate. This creates an issue because Denver has an increasing population and needs water for its citizens. Denver needs more water in order to have enough for everyone whether there is a drought or not and is considering the expansion of the Gross Reservoir in order to help with this problem. I disagree with the expansion of the Gross Reservoir because the Colorado River already has lots of stress, we should focus on leaks and educating the public to save water, and too many reservoirs or too large can ruin an ecosystem. The Colorado River supplies water to seven states, as well as Mexico. Due to growing demands for water,...
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...every day from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. About 95 percent of the food we throw away ends up in the landfills or combustion facilities. In 2014, we disposed of more than 38 million tons of food waste. Once in landfills, food breaks down to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. "When we waste food, we waste all of the resources it takes to bring it to our plates—from money to farmland, energy and water," said Dana Gunders. Food waste is not a new problem, and our habits are only getting worse. We have the power to feed the hungry but we decide to throw our food out. Food waste is also bad for our community. Americans throw out $165 billion worth of food each year. Reducing our food waste will not only save money because we'll buy less food to waste, but it will also help the community. But as big as the problem is, you can do something about it....
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...main source of meat and dairy for half a century and are ever-growing. The vast majority of meat - 78% of cow products, 95% of pork, and 99% of poultry - sold in stores today are from factory farms. Unlike freely wandering livestock on the picturesque farm alluded to earlier, the animals in the industrialized system are packed in and only seen as a product. The exponential growth of these modern farming practices has had negative effects on more than just the wellbeing of the animals. The environment has been negatively impacted. Waterways and the atmosphere have been polluted. Resources are being redirected to livestock instead of going straight to the people. Factory farming’s impact on the environment via pollution, excessive water usage, and wasted resources is too great to be tolerated. Animal agriculture in America has a long and remarkably undocumented history. Domesticated animals did exist in the Americas before Europeans came over, mainly Alpacas in South America. However, domestication wasn’t common in the Americas until farm animals were brought here by explorers like Columbus, De Soto, and Cortez (“History of the Animal Science Industry”). Farming stayed relatively the same from then until the invention of railroads in the mid-1800s. Trains decreased the need for animals as transportation, which lead to more farm animals being raised solely as a food source. The advent of refrigerated train cars a few years later caused the greatest revolution in American farming...
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...raiding Allgyer’s Acres Farm in Kinzer, Pa. In the article Algyer is targeted for being "engaged in milking cows and packaging, labeling, selling and distributing unpasteurized cow milk across state lines." We understand the duties of the FDA; however, the constitution gives us certain freedoms to choose the things we want to partake in. For the thousands of consumers that enjoy milk provided by Allgyer and similar producers, their wishes should not be infringed upon due to undocumented, unproven beliefs from the FDA and CDC about...
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...The United States Military has often been described as a highly-complex and interwovenseries of commands, both issued and carried out. Machines as complex as our organization, the US Army, have a lot of moving parts. If any of these gears fails to perform as they have been designated and entrusted to, the machine begins to break down.Punctuality and accountability are two major ways the Army in general and the 2nd Cavalry Squadron in particular, keep those parts moving smoothly and effectively. Without either, the entire system would quickly fall apart, leading to any number of complications that would hinder the units ability to meet its goals quickly, effectively and efficiently. With this essay, I will explain the importance of timeliness as it relates to the military, as well as describethe problems that would come from ignoring it. Soldiers of every rank and specialty have many responsibilities, and many others depend on their actions being carried out successfully. If a soldier does not follow extremely important, life-or-death orders, this will result in extremely unfortunate, life-or-death consequences. However, failure to obey small, seemingly simple directions, such as keeping an appointment, can also turn into an unpredictable mess. Military readiness and the 21st century Army can be defined by its own organizational ability to project firepower and defend and preserve life. Punctuality and accountability directly contribute to this mission by ensuring that every gear...
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...viewpoints by citing Moor Zak's “Defying the Nalgene.” -Claim: The public should reduce the usage of bottled water, because the plastic bottles are not environmentally friendly, they are also expensive to produce, transport and recycle as well as unhealthy to consume. Body Paragraph 1: Polluting the environment - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 2: Hight costs - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 3: Health issues - evidence provided by the editorial “In Paradise of Tap Water” Body Paragraph 4: Suggested alternatives - evidence provided by personal experience and believes. Conclusion: Kristina Yanakieva EN 102 Prof. 09/10/2013 Buy it! It will make you feel good. Nowadays, it is amazing how the public is so easily manipulated to buy different kinds of products. Various marketing strategies are being successfully used to talk consumers into purchasing a great number of products, which they think they need, when they actually do not. A typical example is buying bottled water instead of simply consuming tap or fountain water. It is true that great majority of the population is indeed in favor of consuming bottled water, because as Zak Moore, the author of “Defying the Nalgene.” states “if plastic were that valuable then it would not be used to hold water and would cost more money”. But at the same time, the manufacturing and disposal of all those plastic bottles...
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...to generate. Consequently, this actions lead to a malignancy which environment is destroyed. I learned that in the nineteenth century, River Thames had a crisis. Because of the industrial revolution, factories littered the chemical materials in the river. Also as populations in London city grew, the amount of waste it produced expanded exponentially. British government didn’t recognize how serious it is, and there were no law to permit this action. For centuries, various wastes that came from human, animal, and industrial polluted England’s most famous river. Also River Thames had long been using as a water source even the water was polluted. River Thames had directly affected resident’s life. It brought diseases that caused many people died. A lot of people left this city because of the disgusting odors and diseases. After British government knew how serious was it, United Kingdom government spent much time for regulating the environment. Jon Wynne-Tyson said “We must develop a better sense of responsibility towards our total environment …” This shows we should take care environment. However it isn’t enough,...
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...AE 3B Problem Solution Essay Assignment Essay’s topic: Water scarcity is one of the key environmental issue of our time. Identify some major causes of water scarcity and describe two solutions. Water plays an important role in developing and maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, water scarcity is an increasing and widespread phenomenon in many countries in the world. Water scarcity refers to either the lack of enough water or lack of access to safe water. The shortage of water is turning out to be more pressing than prediction. This essay will identify some major causes of water scarcity and specifically focus on the solutions of enhancing water stewardship and protecting wetlands. The first major cause of water scarcity is overpopulation. The rapid growth of population has led to a massive demand of water. In the last 50 years, the human population has increased more than double. Moreover, accompanying with population growth are economic development and industrialization. Population growth also results in the need of food, home and clothing, which has added more pressure on the availability of freshwater while water supplies are limited and insufficiently managed. If the consumption rate of water has continued at unsustainable levels, by 2025, two-third of the world population may face water shortage, and ecosystem around the world will suffer even more. Water pollution is the second major cause of water scarcity. It is the result of many reasons, including pesticides...
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