A bad mood=low levels of hope....

Here’s what I’ve learned this week….when you don’t feel so hot, that tends to put you in a bad mood, and as a result your level of optimism or hope seems to plummet into some dark crevice where it doesn’t come back too easily.  I find it ironic that one of our topics for conversations this week was pharmaceuticals given the fact that I’ve not gone to a doctor for anything other than a routine checkup since I was about 8 years old, and in the past week’s time I’ve been twice.  It’s interesting to think about.  I think there are definitely those of us who just hate going, but where do you draw the line? At some point we have to admit that we’re not trained in the medical field and a doctor is someone who knows far more than us, and not all drugs are really bad.  So after a week of attempting to drink more fluids and a failed attempt at drinking cranberry juice (I think it tastes absolutely terrible) to a doctor I went, and two prescriptions later I was hoping in a couple of days I’d feel better.  Alas, I was not that lucky so after a conversation with my Aunt, who is a nurse and gets frustrated with my lack of desire to just go to the doctor when I don’t feel well, I headed to the doctor’s office for a second time. 

This is perhaps my favorite part.  My second visit resulted in being told “Everything looks normal, finish out the antibiotic, and take these pills to mask the symptoms, maybe your body just needs a little more time to finish fighting off the infection.  Call us on Monday and let us know if your symptoms are back.”  My frustration with that definitely shows that given a situation that I can’t figure out on my own, I do look to doctors to be able to help. What happens when those you look to for answers don’t have them?  I just want to feel better so I can be back to my usual optimistic self….although perhaps the stress of classes coming to an end are playing into this as well.  Or maybe it’s the fact that its been too cold and I’ve not gotten enough “outside” time.  Regardless, here I am in a foul mood writing a blog where we’re suppose to think critically about HUGE issues and find some source of hope…..

Here’s my thoughts.  Thank goodness there is a world of so many beautiful people who are thinking and talking about these issues as we are attempting to do with our cohort, because at some point we’re all bound to have a bad day or week or month or goodness gravy that poor soul who it lasts years for.  The point is though, as we all hit those downfalls where our cynical idea of hope is perhaps the zombie apocalypse will come which will mean we won’t have to solve these HUGE issues, and even more importantly we won’t have to finish the mounds of homework due way too soon, there is always someone else who has been through their bad day and is ready to push ahead with a positive attitude.  Today, that’s not me.  Who knows though, maybe the pills I got from the doctor will mean I’m ready to take that on tomorrow. 

**Oh here’s a positive realization, because I just can’t help myself.  Even in a bad mood I managed to check one assignment off my list, which is a step in the right direction.  : )  Too bad I was too impatient to wait for my poor mood to pass, although this was quite helpful.

What We Put Into Our Bodies

This week was all about the things we put into our bodies and the implications of those "things".

Food:
I know that I spend a lot more time thinking about non-human animals than I do about humans, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to consider who grows what I eat. It's horrific how we treat those less powerful than us, and it's even more horrific how we all live as if injustices aren't happening every second of every day. I guess I tend to focus on the negative, so I think about these issues a lot. Learning to cope with the reality of what is happening is something I don't know that I will ever learn to do. I often just sit and think about all of horrible things that are happening and feel pretty powerless when it comes to stopping any of it. I'm quite cynical and pessimistic, but I also will never stop trying to make a difference because "to do nothing is to do something".

Pharmaceuticals:
I struggle with this topic because I know how beneficial prescription drugs can be. There is a history of mental illness in my adoptive family and without these companies I would have lost a lot more people than I already have. I was on Prozac and anti-anxiety medications during middle school and into my freshman year of high school, and I don't like to imagine what could have happened if I wasn't taking these medications. So, it's a tough topic. Are there people who abuse the system? Sure. Do these companies have enormous power? Definitely. Is there a problem? Of course. Of course, I despise the animal testing that occurs in the bio-medical industry the most and am thankful for places like Johns Hopkins that are constantly searching for alternatives to animal subjects. (Hope: http://caat.jhsph.edu/)

I'm not sure I like the solution falling on the consumer of medications. I think we ought to be able to trust doctors to help us. If we can't, then I think the problem is not with people looking for help, but with those who are failing to help because they have an economic interest in prescribing a medication that a person doesn't actually need.

I don't know what the solution is. Any solution I can come up with depends on people to be willing to give up the things they enjoy, which is an impossible concept. I think our dependence on these drugs is a result of western society. As always, I think we need to look to the east for guidance on how to live.

Here's the video I mentioned that I made before going to India, about Ayurveda and encroaching westernized medicine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amr_cmWM31s

Oxycotin Blues by Steve Earle

Addicts Wanted - Payday Monsanto (with subtitles!)

Below is "The Corporation" (a documentary about how a corporation is a sociopath.  Very good.  144 minutes)

Toxic Bust (trailer)

Subject: profits / revenue comparison for Pharmaceutical Industry vs. Oil Industry Category: Miscellaneous Asked by: groovygrace-ga List Price: $2.00

Posted: 27 Jul 2002 16:19 PDT Expires: 26 Aug 2002 16:19 PDT Question ID: 45926

which industry is bigger (especially in terms of United States corporations): oil, or pharmaceutical ? need statistics in terms of total revenue vs. profits. thank you.

Answer

Subject: Re: profits / revenue comparison for Pharmaceutical Industry vs. Oil Industry Answered By: claudietta-ga on 10 Aug 2002 23:29 PDT Rated:

Dear Groovy Grace, The petroleum industry is much bigger than the pharmaceuticals industries. 1) The petroleum industries top 25 participants in the US = $735 billion 2) The pharmaceuticals industries top 25 participants in US = $301 billion This I found in a database at business school library called Onesource. Both indusstries are concentrated industries in that 80% of the sales are produced by 20% of the participants. Therefore the numbers aboves should be highly good indicators. The petroleum industry is a commodity industry and by nature it is low in profit. By contrast the pharmaceuticals industry is reseach & development based, which by nature is very profitable. This are facts learned in business school. Search more information in the following trade association pages. American Petroleum Institute U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information Association International Association of Oil and Gas Producers Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America U.S. Food and Drug Administration Drug Information Association If I can clarify the above please let me know. I hope this is what you were looking for. Claudietta

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/45926.html

What is Environmental Education?

The topics chosen for this week’s classes definitely showed the range of what we, as environmental educators find important.  I’ve found it interesting how many people have an incredibly narrow view of what we do.   It is assumed that we are out in the woods helping kids identify trees and looking at all kinds of wild critters.  Often times environmental issues aren’t even on people’s radar for what we do.  Perhaps this is a reflection of our society and the issues that people are even aware of.  Ironically though, even those who have a more in depth experience with environmental educators still struggle with defining who we are and what we consider our domain.  This was especially true during our trip to Black Pine today and the comment made as to if our interests were being addressed. 

Why is it then that all of these issues are of interest to us? I believe the biggest reason that we include so much more in what we consider is the way we look at the world, or perhaps this can only apply to me personally.  I consider more things an issue I would be concerned with as an environmental educator because I think we are all operating in a huge system in which there are incredibly strong connections.  How we choose to bury the deceased has huge impacts on the natural world for some very obvious reasons and others that are not so easily connected.  The way we view the ownership of exotic “pets” has incredible implications for how we interact with all  of nature.  In much the same way that our view of the importance of bee says a lot about our culture. 

Our environment is not an isolated bit of forest or other habitats that we are working to save and protect, it is this planet that we all live on together.  Everything that is happening around us affects our environment in some way whether that be positively or negatively.  The beauty of it all is that we’re sparking these conversations, we’re learning new things, and by doing so, we’re changing the trajectory of what can be. 

The trouble with tradition, the difficulty in educating, and missed opportunities

This week was great. I enjoyed all of the topics and thought Lisa, Caitlin, and Allison led great classes/chose great presenters. I also find myself thinking about three troublesome ideas (see title) related to the topics this week.

The trouble with tradition:
I think a lot of the hesitation and slow-going progress in the green burial movement is because of what we see as tradition. It's hard to change a lot of minds when people see it as being such an important and sensitive issue. I know that in conversations I've had with people on this topic, many don't like to think about their body decomposing. They want their loved ones to have a big memorial service, with the body visible to all. And they want a personal headstone to memorialize their loved one for well into the future. I know that I, personally, love walking through cemeteries and looking at old headstones. I appreciate the history and stories that cemeteries provide. Having a bunch of names all one one rock or a name on a groundstone is not the same, and I think that this could be hard to swallow for some people, especially older generations. In the United States, we have separated people from nature for a long time, both in life but also in death. We hold humans at the top of the hierarchy - which is a difficult position to come down from.

The difficulty in educating:
Growing up in Baltimore I had no idea what bees were "good for". I always thought of them as big mosquitoes - who wants or needs them anyway? They fly around and sting people and no one seems to like them. I was terrified of bees, which I think is a pretty common feeling for many urban children. Of course, as I grew older and began to learn more and analyze my every action and feeling, I had a change of heart. But I don't know that is the natural process for most people. Like snakes, spiders, and mosquitoes, bees are an insect people don't seem to like because of fear or a lack of knowledge. And as we've discussed in one of our classes before, it's hard to educate when strong negative emotions like fear are present. And, on top of the fear problem, people tend to sympathize with mammals and birds, not insects.

Missed opportunities:
I think one of the most frustrating things for me is the lack of effort from adults to discuss difficult topics with their children and to consider what is right and wrong before they consider what will make their child happy. I talked about "Free Willy" and "Finding Nemo" at Black Pine. These movies are supposed to teach children about the problems with captivity, yet after watching these movies kids want to go to SeaWorld or get Nemo for their fish tank, and parents allow them to do so. I think that adults need to have discussions with children, reinforce missed messages, and talk about moral dilemmas. I absolutely believe that we do not give enough credit to children to make the right decisions. But of course, I also feel as though adults are also guilty of putting pleasure before morality, as well.

Hope!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Nm5uv292g

Consumption

Where do we draw the line? How much is too much? At what point do the things we surround ourselves go from necessity to frivolous? These are questions that seem to be floating around in my head a lot lately.  Although they might not be the direct topic for this class, or any other class for that matter, it is a side conversation that we seem to continuously touch on.  We fight for many things as environmental educators.  Currently I feel like a large focus on what we are discussing revolves around the justice of over-consumption.  Who is hurt by it? Do we have a right to the things that the exploitation provides? How do we make things equitable?

The trip to the RV factory helped bring this to light.  Do you support a industry that seems to support indulgent consumerism and consumption of resources?  Perhaps the easy answer is to say that it is not something we should condone, but how do you address the fact that it creates a livelihood for so many people within the community? 

Personally this has become something that daunts me.  How do I personally draw the line of what I should not allow myself to do because it is not a practice that is sustainable or good for the environment? I think I can say that through the eyes of an environmental educator a cruise is not something that I would deem worthy of doing ever again.  The food waste alone was enough to completely stress me out.  What about flying? It seems to be a topic that some here at Merry Lea would definitely say is not worth the consumption of oil. Driving home on the weekends to visit family?  Driving to Detroit for our integrative session? Owning a personal computer? A cell-phone? Driving to class?  At what point do you have to realize that we all will consume to some point and feeling guilty about it is not going to lead to a better world?

I’m torn between wanting to say that this contemplation is something that gives me hope and saying that it just irks me.  Is it a good thing that people, including myself, worry about how much we are consuming? Or is the fact that we’re creating stress within people over this issue just a negative manifestation of the problem.  Is guilting people into questioning their lives the healthiest way to create a vision of what our future should be? I for one am not sold. 

Path Dependency

When we talk about alternative energy I always reflect on path dependency, the idea what where we are today and the steps we make in the future are all dependent on decisions we made in the past.

I think we are right in pushing for renewable energy. It has to be better for the planet than what we currently use, right? But I am also aware of the fact that it will not be a fast switch. We have structures in place for fossil fuels and facilities that exist to provide the amount of energy we demand in a certain way. It's not as simple as saying "well, today, we're going to start using solar for everything!" It takes time, and while I think more needs to be done to get us moving in that direction, I also think we need to lower our unrealistic expectations a bit.

I had a conversation with Luke about this the other day. We eco-minded people tend to see in black and white when it comes to energy and I don't think that this is realistic. We need to recognize that there are small steps that can be taken to make things better. Small steps that lead us toward a more sustainable future. And this is why I support fracking, and why Luke's friend supports nuclear. I see us investing more money in natural gas and less in coal and I see that as progress. I know how destructive coal is. No matter what, people, mountains, landscapes, animals, entire ecosystems, and water will all be hurt by coal. In the last few years our CO2 emissions have dropped some, and I think this is due to fracking. Fracking is not always destructive. It doesn't require massive amounts of land. It can be done in such a way that significantly reduces the risk of water contamination. If it's a decision between coal and fracking, I choose fracking. I pick the lesser of two evils and see this as a sign of "progress" (whatever that means) in recognizing that we need to be better stewards of the environment. It's a small step in the right direction.

Hope? I hope that everyone's holiday is as happy and exciting as this dog's: