Now I know that there are a lot of corporations out there that really are not doing their part in helping the environment but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by an article that I read recently about companies taking different actions to encourage recycling of electronics. I believe that even though many corporations are not doing enough there can be an argument made that some companies really are trying to make a good impact. I believe they deserve recognition for these efforts.
According to the EPA, electronic waste accounted for 1.5 percent of waste in the United States in 2006. According to the International Association of Electronic Recyclers, in 2006 15 to 20 percent on Electronic waste was recycled. This is up from the 10 to 15 percent in 2003. A lot of this increase is due to corporations like Best Buy and Office Depot instigating programs to help encourage consumers to recycle their old or unwanted electronics. Best buy started sponsoring drop off events all around the country where people could bring their electronics that they wanted recycled. Sony offered customers $15 off a new TV purchase is they brought an old on to the store to be recycled. These are just a couple of the efforts that many customers are making towards higher electronic recycling percentages. You might be asking, are these companies just doing these things to get better PR? That could be the case, and for some of them it probably is but the fact of the matter is that no matter what the reason, their actions are making a positive impact. I think we need to take a look at the good that some companies do every now and then instead of just always looking at the bad.
Just one of the many drop off events sponsored by Best Buy. Photo taken by Maria C- Flickr.com
Whose responsibility is it to make sure the country and the people in it are safe from environmental hazards? Some think it is a state responsibility while others believe it is a national responsibility. Well, I believe it is a national responsibility. How can each state be responsible for itself when there is so much interaction between states? Yes, the national government needs to leave some things up to the states but not when it concerns multiple states. This is when it becomes a national issue.
In November of 2011 officials from Oklahoma testified at a subcommittee meeting in DC concerning the ill affects of hydraulic fracturing on the environment. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the national government question whether or not the regulation of gas oil production should be left up to the states or be made a national responsibility. Well, since the EPA has found traces of the chemical Bromine in Pennsylvania water ways that they believe is traced to hydraulic fracturing I would say that the states are not capable of doing a good enough job at regulating production to protect the environment. EPA is now considering regulating waste water from hydraulic fracturing under the Clean Water Act. They are currently in the process of gathering information. It will be great if they can do this but how many more people will be put at risk in these regions where this practice is prevalent? Getting privilege to regulate the waste water could take years. By that time there could be countless more people exposed to the water that is harmful.
EPA officials say that bromine is used in commercial gasoline, oil, pesticides and many other products. I put gasoline in my car, not in the water I drink. If the states cannot properly regulate the waste water and other harmful outcomes that stem from hydraulic fracturing then the national government needs to take over. It does not just affect on state. It affects the whole country.
Protesters show their feelings about hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as "fracking".
Photo by ITmayers, flickr.com
Sources: Bailey, B. (2011, Nov 16). Officials defend fracking in D.C.: Oklahoma officials testify at subcommittee hearing. Journal Record, pp. n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/905641730?accountid=10017
This week in Writing we watched the Erin Brockovich movie. For those of you that don't know, this move is based of the true story of the PG&E scandal in Hinkley, California. See, this company, like many others out there think they can bend and break the rules and get away with it. Although some of them do end up getting away with their actions, sometimes all it takes is someone like Erin Brockovich to be willing to stand up and fight. I think that is movie really opened my eyes and made me think that as we as citizens should be willing to stand up and fight for the greater good. Companies such as PG&E should not be able to get away with putting people in harms ways by disregarding environmental standards that the national government has put into place.
Above(http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveglass/3243756335/sizes/m/in/photostream/ )
is a photo taken in Hinkley, California. This photo represents that now nearly abandoned town of Hinkley that was turned upside down by PG&E's intentional cover-up. The corporation was using the harmful Chromium 6 for their developments. They knew that it was getting in the water supply of the town but neglected to fix the problem.
PG&E has also been involved in many other scandals that have been related to the harming of citizens in near by towns. The website below gives a timeline of PG&E events and scandals. (http://www.energy-net.org/1NWO/PGE/8PGE.HTM).
It shocks me that so many scandals like these happen so often but it does give me hope that an ordinary citizen like Erin Brockovich can stand up and make a difference. I believe that more citizens should be willing to speak up and in turn force the government to make a change.
Hey guys, it's me, Erica. I hope everyone is having a great week! I was rather troubled when we watched a video is class earlier this week about environmental racism. For those of you who may not know exactly what environmental racism is, it is when corporations intentionally target low income and minority areas for the development of ecologically hazardous facilities. These facilities are harmful to the health of the people living nearby because the release massive amounts of toxins into the air. The video that we watched, below, was called Environmental Racism by Michael Franti. The video contains interviews with people who are subjected to this racism first hand and also contains many chilling statistics. Three of the major geographical areas of focus are Camden, New Jersey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans, Louisiana. I don't think it is any secret that these areas, especially New Orleans and Baton Rouge are predominantly minority communities. According to the video, in Camden 80% of Hispanics live in areas that violate U.S. air quality standards compared to 71% of African Americans and 50% of whites. This is because companies are targeting these minorities and low income areas. This is just incredibly disturbing to me that somehow, these people of different color and different economic status are inferior and their lives are not worth as much. I mean, the U.S. is supposed to a great country of equality, at least that is what we portray to the rest of the world yet we put certain group's lives at risk just to make money through our corporations. In Virginia over a 20 year period all landfills were placed withing one mile of communities that were 95% African American. To me, this fact is just chilling.
Another area that has a particularly high presence of environmental racism is "Cancer Alley', a 90 mile stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. This 90 mile stretch is home to one forth of the nations chemical manufacturing plants.
Along with many other health problems linked with the toxic developments, across the country African Americans are treated for asthma more than three times as often as Whites. Also, over 95% of African American children who live in inner cities have an unsafe amount of lead in their blood.
Through this link(http://www.youngpeoplefor.org/node/1976) I found more evidence to support the claims made in this video. The article called" Native Americans, Blacks and Latinos- The Effect of Environmental Racism on people of color in the US" on a news page called "Young People for Constitutional Liberties" provides even more evidence to support the claims against environmental racism. These people are being intentionally put in harmful situations and the government doesn't care.
Environmental Racism and Biased Methods of Risk Assessment by Daniel C. Wigley and Kristin S. Shrader-Fretchette, another story supporting claims on Environmental Racism can be found at http://law.unh.edu/risk/vol7/winter/wigley.htm.
Photo from Flickr.com
This is a sad testament to the state of our nation and the hypocritical nature of our country.
Hi, my name is Erica Graham. This will be my first of many posts about corporations and their effect on the environment. I love to be outside so it will be interesting to learn more about the corporations' influence on the environment. I hope you enjoy my blog!!
