ENVR 1301 - Michael Barreto

  Activity 4.1 – US Environmental History and Major Regulations The US has had many ups and downs for the environment and it’s safety throughout the birth of the country, continuing on till present day. The US faces many consequences from past actions from harming the environment, and now we’re struggling to reverse damages before they’re permanent. To understand how we got here, we have to go back to when the US was first created, and how endless resources turned into unsafe environmental practices.  At the start of the US’ birth, early pioneers of the country were treated with resources as far as the eye can see. There was no thought of how expanding and settling would affect the land around them, because it was all fresh and new. When one tree was used for making houses, another tree was in sight, when one animal was killed, there was more to hunt. This idea of new territory made the early settlers hungry for more, and their actions were soon met with warnings. When peo...

  Six-Point Critical Analysis of Current Event:  D.C. PLASTIC STRAW BAN BEGINS My blog posting is available online at:  1. Exploratory: Straws are being banned all around America, and D.C. is taking another big leap to protect the earth. Effective Jan. 1, 2019, D.C. banned the use of plastic straws throughout the city, and is switching to better alternatives. Many businesses are switching to paper straws or hay straws that can be recycled, and are finding that not many people notice the change. Some restaurants and bars are also using reusable straws, which can be cleaned and used multiple times. The change from plastic to more eco-friendly materials like paper is helping the city to be better for the environment. By waving out plastic straws, they’re ensuring that more material is recycled, and the city is doing their part in helping the planet. 2. Diagnostic: The reason why D.C. and many other cities are banning the use of plastic straws is because of the impacts they...

My Plastic Use Microplastics are plastics that have been broken down from plastic materials, and have become so small that it’s in almost everything. Microplastic was formed by humans’ constant use of plastic, and their pollution involved with it. When the sun hits plastics, they break down and form small, microscopic pieces that the naked eye can’t see. These tiny pieces of plastic are in our water that we drink, our clothes that we wear on a day to day basis, and even in our food that we eat. The amount of microplastics in the world and the environment is constantly increasing, yet humans aren’t speaking enough about it. Plastic is a very convenient and easy thing to use for producers and consumers alike, it has lots of uses for products, and it’s easy to store things or throw away for consumers. The normalization of plastic across the globe has increased steadily over hundreds of years, and it was “used as far back as 1600 B.C.” when it was first recorded (Haab, S., & Haab, K. (...