Is Fake Leather Really More Eco-Friendly Than Real?

In an article by Kate Sheppard, she brings up some interesting points about pleather vs. leather. Most people think that buying faux leather items is more environmentally friendly because it doesn't involve the killing of animals. While this is true, there are many negatives to purchasing cheap knock-offs. First of all, they don't last as long and will probably end up in a landfill (as will your next two or three pairs). Real leather lasts much longer and in the long run this means less production and less waste. What about the fact that the pleather items are made somewhere in China with "all man-made materials"? Are these materials smart and sustainable? Probably not...they are synthetic chemicals and dyes. Not to mention that petroleum is a depleating resource for making plastics, which is what pleather is made out of. If we applied the "natural vs. synthetic" principle to our shoes and bags instead of just our foods...people may be re-thinking their choices. There are pros and cons to both, of course. For example, processing of natural fibers (animal hides) involves a lot of chemicals as well as water. 


Overall, neither choice is really the 'best' choice. 


A quote from the article really got my gears grinding: "When you start the conversation with 'How
should I shop?' rather than 'Should I shop?' then you've already given in a little bit."




http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/01/fake-leather-really-more-eco-friendly-real

Ecological Footprint

I never viewed myself as a wasteful person, but apparently if everyone lived like me we would need EIGHT earths. That is crazy! I guess turning the lights off when I leave the house just is not enough. I should probably start recycling too. I recycle the occasional aluminum can or plastic water bottle, but there are so many other things in my trash can right now that could be recycled. The video "The Story of Stuff" really got me thinking. What really put it all into perspective for me was the idea that we are working on a linear system, but we have a finite planet. It really made me realize that all of this is going to eventually run out if we don't get our act together. All I can do is my part, but it all adds up and even the little things count toward a sustainable future. I was also in shock when Dr.Morris showed the logos of popular brands and then showed pictures of different animals and plants in nature...most of the class doesn't even know our state tree! (I actually knew that one--Sabal palm). We need more environmental education...this last class really justified the reason for this course at FGCU.

Dead Zone

8,500 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico will be lacking sufficient oxygen to support marine life--larger than the biggest recorded dead zone in history. This in addition to the BP oil spill, the "chronic stressor," is detrimental to the gulf. At first I thought dead zones were due to fertilizer killing marine life, but what actually happens is the nitrates and the phosphates in the fertilizer runoff provide good conditions for algae. It then overgrows and then takes all of the oxygen for its survival. The other sea life must either escape or die. Dead zones have been a problem for a long time, and I think its time to start preventing it. The least people could do is use the fertilizer that isn't harmful to the environment, it says it right on the bag! How long can we all just watch these problems go on? In order to make a difference, everyone has to do their part.

Tobacco & the Environment

Being a nursing student, we are constantly being taught about the dangers of smoking to human beings. What we don't usually discuss is it's impact on the environment. All of the nursing students had to participate in a Florida AHEC (area health education centers) smoking cessation training seminar. They taught us about dangers to people as well as the environment. Here are a few new things that are an issue regarding smoking: To grow tobacco, people are clear cutting forests so that they can plant it. The fertilizer runoff is affecting bodies of water as well. Litter from cigarette butts and fires are also a problem. I never view smoking as harmful to the environment, only harmful to people. This seminar changed my view of the issue. This crop isn't even absolutely necessary compared to food crops, so if people didn't smoke, we wouldn't even have to grow it and there wouldn't be as much deforestation, litter, pollution or fires. Unfortunately, growing tobacco is strictly all about money (and I doubt everyone in the world is going to quit smoking).

Class 6/7

In our last class, we had a mock counsel meeting regarding proposals for hydroelectric and coal burning electricity. Each group had to convince Lisa and I, the mayor and chairperson, which method was better for the community. I did not realize how many things there are to consider when building something like this. The hydroelectric would be better for the environment, but would prevent salmon from spawning and would take land from homeowners. The coal burning plant would take away farmland and pollute the air in the community. The whole ordeal was very multi-faceted and it was not an easy decision to make--I could only imagine what something like this would be like in a real city or county. I assumed that both sides would present their cases and that Lisa and I would be able to decide quickly, but this was not the case. No matter which one we chose, it would affect a certain group of the community negatively.

 

For the record, though, I think I would chose hydroelectric if I was really a member of the city counsel. :)

Koreshan Day 2

Friday I volunteered for the second time at Koreshan State Historic Site. The first time I went, I only got to see the campgrounds, but this time my volunteering took place in the actual historic settlement. We were instructed to first take the tour of the site, walk through all of the hundred year old buildings and get a bit of background education. The history behind this park is very interesting. The last four living people of the settlement donated over 300 acres of this land to the state of Florida. The Koreshans settled on the Estero River, which was full of fish and crabs and quite pretty with all of the vegetation surrounding it. There are nature trails too, which is where we learned about all of the invasive species (we of course had to pick up air potato seeds during our walk through of the trail--they can grow up to 8 inches per day and are very invasive). There are enormous bamboo forests, and although bamboo is not native to Florida, it was my favorite part of the trails. The gardens were very enchanting; everything is in bloom from spring. I also saw many native animal species like the gopher tortoise and a few types of snakes (mainly the Southern Black Racer)...not to mention very many mosquitos! Even though I have completed my ten hours of service learning, I have a feeling I will return to Koreshan again to camp for a weekend or kayak on the Estero river.

air potato (dioscorea bulbifera)