Reflection of Class Presentation 12/5

Today, a lot of the class presentations related their chapters to environmental impacts more than last week's presentations. From smog in urban cities to Hurricane Katrina, today's presentations were full of information about areas throughout the U.S. I enjoyed learning about New Orleans and inequality and lack of assistance (That was my favorite presentatation). The damage done by the storm was not alleviated fast by FEMA and there are still people displayed today. There is also racial disparity is multiple areas including Atlanta, Georgia.

Reflection on Class Presentations

After Wednesday's presentations, I grasped a better understanding of smart growth and inequality between groups of people within the same region or state. After reading chapter 6, I was surprised at the ongoing and further segregation of African Americans in Richland, SC. The County Council's vision of development in Northern Richland and neglection of the residents in lower Richland shows inequality is prevalent still. The Council's desire for preserving green space is understandable but is it worth harming/ceasing the potential economic development for the residents of lower Richland? Also, I observed how many of the lessons/messages in some chapters relate to other chapters (for example, chap.4 and chap. 6 are relatable).

Reflection on Advocacy Writing: Seattle

While researching advocacy groups in Seattle, Washington I stumbled upon the Seattle Environmental Activists (SEA) which is a group of citizens who came together out of concern for the environment. Their organization is action-oriented and by reading a lot of information on their website, I learned that they are very straight-forward. They not only spread awareness about environmental issues, but they attend rallies and protests as well. The theme that I received from the writing is that "things must change in Seattle or else horrible things will happen and we only have a few years left to change  things." Which, I believe, will get people willing to be more environmentally conscious.

Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan

Seattle updated their Master Plan in July of 2016 and their vision is to make Seattle "the most walkable and accessible city in the nation.” Already, Seattle is recognized as one of the nation’s safest and most accessible cities for pedestrians. It is tied for the second-lowest pedestrian fatality rate in the country and is ranked 5th in the country for the percentage of people who commute to work by foot.
In their updated plan, they had objectives in place to achieve their goals such as reduce the number and severity of crashes involving pedestrians, develop a connected pedestrian environment that sustains healthy communities and supports a vibrant economy, and get more people moving to improve health and increase mobility. They made a clear walkable zone which is a horizontal and vertical space that is free of obstructions and other potential hazards. In addition, they encouraged pedestrian movement by providing improvements such as curb ramps, landscape buffers, natural drainage features, and streetscape elements such as street furniture and lighting that help create friendly pedestrian environments. They also plan to raise awareness of the important role of pedestrian movement for transportation, recreation, and in promoting health and preventing disease.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pedMasterPlan.htm

My Reflection on Environmental Justice

Before this class, I've never talked nor discussed the topic of Environmental Justice. To be honest, I didn't exactly know what it meant. After watching the videos on environmental health and listening to the lecture, I understand the definition and use of environmental justice. From what we discussed and the readings, my understanding of environmental justice is the involvement of all types people to implement and enforce environmental laws and regulations.

Reaction to An Inconvenient Truth

On November 7th, 2016, we watched An Inconvenient Truth which came out in 2006. I found it to be very impactful and I liked how Al Gore presented lots of recent data and data from over 650,000 m years ago. Last year, I had an argument with someone who was convinced that the recent significant warming of the planet was natural and that it happens every few centuries; I had shown them the same graph that Al Gore presented about the rise in CO2 levels and temperature and how recent years had surpassed the normal maximum. Also, that data that he presented was from 2005! It's been ten years and it seems that nothing significant has happened to alleviate global environmental problems-- there are still polar bears without ice and people being displayed due to intense natural disasters. This film also put into perspective how coastal cities will be lost in the ice caps melt which shocked me.

Water and Sanitation Improvement in Antananarivo, Madagascar

The capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo has about 2 million inhabitants. Originally built on the top of a hill, the city spread to neighboring hills and slopes and in recent decades, it has started to cover marshland and valleys. Water and sanitation is a huge challenge in Madagascar, where over 50% of the country’s population lacks access to safe water (WSUP 2016) . Citizens of Antananarivo also suffer from lack of safe and clean water. Recently, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor, a multi-sector partnership, has worked with state-owned water utility JIRAMA, national ministries and local communities to improve water and sanitation services.

As of July 2016, over 700,000 low-income residents, or nearly one-third of Antananarivo’s population, have benefited from an improved water supply (WSUP 2016). By improving the water supply, fewer people will be exposed to diseases and child mortality rate will likely decrease.


WSUP. 2016. "Where we work: Madagascar" URL: http://www.wsup.com/programme/where-we-work/madagascar/