| Author | Thread |
|
|
03/30/2005 12:33:09 PM · #26 |
This is a beautiful thread and I'm heartened to see that so many people care about the environment as I do. It's one of the reasons that I partake in the political rants on DPC. Voicing concerns about the environment and nature is important in informing our politicians and industry leaders that we will hold them accountable for their negative actions, or inactions, but I think an equally important step is to take responsibility for our own individual lifestyles.
Pollution of the earth does not just happen from industrial smoke stacks or drainage of poisonous chemicals into waterways. There are many indirect means of pollution that we unknowingly partake in ourselves. For instance, excessive meat consumption leads to excessive meat production, which requires greater use of petroleum based fertilizers, pesticides that eventually trickle down into the underground aquifers and into streams that wind up polluting our oceans. Most of the grain and legume production in the US goes towards cattle feed. (Can you imagine how much more food we would have for the starving if we reduced our meat intake?) Cattle ranching requires great tracts of land which is most often gotten from cutting down forests, especially rainforests in South America. Etc, etc, etc.
I"m not trying to preach vegetarianism but rather moderation in our lifestyles and being accountable for our actions. Consumerism is what's killing this earth and if we stopped listening to the bombardment of advertisements we receive each and every day and started thinking for ourselves as to what we really need, we would take a big step towards health for our planet, ourselves and families.
I myself have given up many material possessions, including my car and television (that's intellectual pollution :). I either work to work or ride a bicycle, recycle as much as I can, and hope one day to power my computer and electrical outlets with alternative energy sources.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 12:52:45 PM · #27 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
Not to mention the greater destruction we allow and participate in on a daily basis..the destruction of each other's spirits, of love and of hope.
There is great evil here and we are losing. |
Not to sound sappy, but that is honestly where the little "random acts" of kindness or giving really boost my own spirit. I feel overwhelmed in trying to have any kind of effect globally, but I can at least know that there are these small moments happening out here in my world.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 01:33:28 PM · #28 |
Adding another pic to this wonderful thread:
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 01:35:43 PM · #29 |
| Althought it may very well be that we pollute and exhaust the resourses necessary for our survival, different enviornments will be created that allow other forms of life to prosper. Hard as we might try, we will never kill the ant and they will survive to the end of earth. We however, at our stage of evolution, are here for just a blink of an eye in time... |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 01:45:47 PM · #30 |
Originally posted by clicker:
Althought it may very well be that we pollute and exhaust the resourses necessary for our survival, different enviornments will be created that allow other forms of life to prosper. Hard as we might try, we will never kill the ant and they will survive to the end of earth. We however, at our stage of evolution, are here for just a blink of an eye in time... |
Yes, the earth will survive no matter what, we can't "kill" her. It's rather beside the point though. On a somewhat more related point, I just read a fascinating Scientific American article on global warming that suggest very convincingly, based on ice-core evidence of climatological factors, that humankind actually began effecting global warming 8,000 years ago, with the dawn of agriculture, and that if we had not done so we'd be in the middle of an ice age (for which we are overdue) right now...
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 02:52:04 PM · #31 |
A few man-made artifacts I found in the desert recently tell something of the problem. The mining equipment was abandoned (and could have been regulated, or at least removed, by a government agency). The tin can? Well, that's anyone who litters, isn't it.
 |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 03:04:01 PM · #32 |
More Gloom
Here's a link to an article on Yahoo about what we're all talking about.
From personal experience I can see the changes without even leaving my yard. I have 20 acres of family property, all wooded and swamp. When I was a kid, the sound of the frogs in the swamps in the summer was almost deafening. Now you're lucky to hear a few peeps.
We used to band birds ( putting little ID collars on their legs so they can be studied ) and there used to be literally thousands of birds around here, with almost every species you could possibly imagine.
Now I'm excited when I see a woodpecker. I'd say we lost 80% of the bird species around here, because many were birds that flew down to South America to winter, and their home was bulldozed to the ground to make way for yet more cattle so we could eat more Big Macs. Others had to move away because my town has become a refuge for transplanted New Yorkers and their McMansions.
There used to be tons and tons of butterflies on my property. Monarchs, Tiger-Swallowtails, etc. I haven't seen a Monarch in 15 years. I see maybe 3 butterflies a summer. Where did they go? Polluted to death.
Yeah, the Earth may recover, but not unless it kills us off first. But that doesn't mean we have to take it lying down. Reduce your use of household chemicals and cleaners, reduce your intake of meat, reduce your use of plastics, re-use whatever you can instead of reaching for a new one....that kind of thing. It may be too late but I'd rather try adn fail than not try at all. |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 05:27:55 PM · #33 |
Zeus - your comments really resonate with me (as do so many other posts here) - sometimes it feels like a silent scream and you feel helpless, resentment and guilt all at once.
i really don't view this issue as political anymore - it's such an integral influence on everyone - and everyone is part of the effect. Some people still don't care though which is the real misery. How can it be? Selfish greed and ignorance probably - and a short-term view of life.
One of the problems is that people feel hypocritical (as I do) - that they can't do enough - or it's all or nothing - or that the problem's do large, etc. Well, I believe that hypocrisy is far better than total abstention.
It really is a question of scale and en masse things can change (just ask a power grid worker about when there's an ad break during a big sports event). Trouble is, the message tends only to preach to the converted, rather than reaching,and changing those who need to alter their self-centred lifestyle.
Perhaps things will only finally happen when the ski slopes dry up and the beaches become submerged. |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 05:34:32 PM · #34 |
Not the best photos but here are some more:
  
  
Message edited by author 2005-03-30 17:36:26.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 05:40:04 PM · #35 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
Yes, the earth will survive no matter what, we can't "kill" her. It's rather beside the point though. On a somewhat more related point, I just read a fascinating Scientific American article on global warming that suggest very convincingly, based on ice-core evidence of climatological factors, that humankind actually began effecting global warming 8,000 years ago, with the dawn of agriculture, and that if we had not done so we'd be in the middle of an ice age (for which we are overdue) right now...
Robt. |
yeap that is the case I was also intrigued to learn. Many people don't seem to realize that also, if this were ran efficiently, that the current world's population could live off of food produced from a land the size of texas. Over population is really not a concern. There is still so much of this earth that is so sparsely populated.
I do agree though that to live a life with habits conducive a better earth is a great thing. Use less whenever of whatever you can whenever you can. It is really not that hard to break a few habits you may have. |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 05:54:20 PM · #36 |
Thanks for putting this together Imagineer.
Some of you know this subject is probably the highest on my list of issues.
That being said I want to recommend a book I think EVERYONE should read and considering the times, it aught to be in schools.
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight
I hope some of you, if not all will take the time and small amount of money to purchase and read this book and then hopefully feel compelled to pass it on.
 |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 06:52:55 PM · #37 |
| I would also like to share a short video poem that resonates strongly with me Thoughts from Within |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 07:51:05 PM · #38 |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 07:55:11 PM · #39 |
Great thread. Here's a small contribution.
 
Lee |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:03:21 PM · #40 |
Great thread... and I hate to have to move it... but since this is basically a political thread (albeit with photographic commentary) I have to move it to Rant.
-Terry
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:11:56 PM · #41 |
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
Great thread... and I hate to have to move it... but since this is basically a political thread (albeit with photographic commentary) I have to move it to Rant.
-Terry |
I don't care where it's moved, personally, so no problem. I did get a chuckle, though, you of your characterizing a discussion of the health of the earth as "political"...
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:16:23 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
Great thread... and I hate to have to move it... but since this is basically a political thread (albeit with photographic commentary) I have to move it to Rant.
-Terry |
I did get a chuckle, though, you of your characterizing a discussion of the health of the earth as "political"...
Robt. |
For me its a sigh of frustration. |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:25:26 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
Great thread... and I hate to have to move it... but since this is basically a political thread (albeit with photographic commentary) I have to move it to Rant.
-Terry |
I don't care where it's moved, personally, so no problem. I did get a chuckle, though, you of your characterizing a discussion of the health of the earth as "political"...
Robt. |
The opening post of the thread pretty much framed it as political. It was on that basis, and in response to user requests, that I moved it.
-Terry
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:32:08 PM · #44 |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:37:36 PM · #45 |
Oh, Terry and General, I ain't complaining. I just felt a wry sense of amusement. Kind of a sense of irony, maybe. The thread is where it "belongs" now for sure.
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:38:05 PM · #46 |
That really does say it right there why these issues donĂ¢€™t get better. Users thought this thread, about the most important issue of our entire lives, every single one of us, belongs in a folder called "Rant".
Per dictionary.com "Rant":
1. To speak or write in a angry or violent manner; rave.
2. To utter or express with violence or extravagance: a dictator who ranted his vitriol onto a captive audience.
DPC should be one of the 1st to standup to this challenge of creating awareness. A community that apreciates the beauty in our world. Acknowledgment is the 1st step in fixing a problem. Site rule or not, this is the reality of it. |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:40:42 PM · #47 |
The again even nature consumes..
 |
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:41:40 PM · #48 |
Come to think of it, one wonders why it couldn't be in "General Discussion", I hadn't noticed that category before. Based on forum descriptions, "Rant" does seem to be designed as the home for venters, and the intent of the thread was in fact awareness-raising, not venting...
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:43:13 PM · #49 |
Originally posted by MadMordegon:
That really does say it right there why these issues donĂ¢€™t get better. Users thought this thread, about the most important issue of our entire lives, every single one of us, belongs in a folder called "Rant".
Per dictionary.com "Rant":
1. To speak or write in a angry or violent manner; rave.
2. To utter or express with violence or extravagance: a dictator who ranted his vitriol onto a captive audience.
DPC should be one of the 1st to standup to this challenge of creating awareness. A community that apreciates the beauty in our world. Acknowledgment is the 1st step in fixing a problem. Site rule or not, this is the reality of it. |
DPChallenge site policy is, and long has been, that political threads belong in the Rant folder. This is to accomodate the large number of users who wish not to see them.
This has nothing to do with the appropriateness or tone of the thread itself... it simply has to do with accomodating the wishes of the majority of forum users who do not wish to see the front page of the site cluttered with political posts instead of photography-related ones.
-Terry
|
|
|
|
03/30/2005 08:46:46 PM · #50 |
I'm trying to find the political framework in the thread...the focus seems to be on us as individuals. This is a "General Discussion".
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 08/01/2025 10:54:57 PM EDT.
