Synthesis of Marker’s “Indigenous Resistance and Racist Schooling on the Borders of Empires: Coast Salish Cultural Survival”

            Since the arrival of the Europeans, Native Americans have struggled to maintain there land and cultural identities as the white man tries to either force them away or integrate them western culture. This racism is still present today, a notable example being the schooling conflict of the Coast Salish people.

            The government in Washington state and British Columbia used education as means to assimilate the youth of the Coast Salish people. The school taught history and beliefs that clashed with those of the Coast Salish people in addition to practicing racism and cultural suppression, provoking resistance from them. Many of the Coast Salish people took their children out of the public school system and placed them into boarding schools instead, that allowed them to practice their beliefs without fear of persecution.

It is disheartening that even today, the Native Americans still face discrimination and oppression. I’m glad that they were able to find a way around the government’s forced integration, however, they shouldn’t have to take their children out of public into private schools just to practice their beliefs.

Food & Sustainability in the US Virgin Islands

For my place, I chose the US Virgin Islands. Due to insufficient agricultural area on the islands, most of the food is imported. When slavery was popular in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the US Virgin Islands profited from cash crops, but since then, tourism has become the main basis for the economy, resulting in imported food. Most food is also imported due to the insufficient agricultural land on the islands.

Sustainability of the US Virgin Islands has been an issue in recent years due to the increasing amount of tourism in the area. Of the three major islands, Saint John has done the most to sustain its environment and resources by protecting over 65% of the island as part of the Virgin Islands National Park. Additionally, the underwater Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument safeguards the submerged lands and marine ecosystem within a three-mile belt off the island of Saint John. The island of Saint Croix features a Green Globe certified Sustainable Farm Institute with a 200-acre conservation forest farm. Saint Croix’s Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve provides a safe haven for threatened or endangered species. North of Saint Croix is the Buck Island Reef National Monument, a small, uninhabited island teaming with marine flora and fauna. Saint Thomas, the third island, is in the process of building a gas-to-energy facility that will convert the collected methane gas into electricity. Additionally, Saint Thomas is home to the Mangrove Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary and Marine Preserve, a healthy nursery habitat for endangered brown pelicans, nesting egrets, and herons. The nearby small, uninhabited island of Cas Cay holds a 15-acre wildlife preserve, home to numerous tropical birds.

However, even with all these measures taken to sustain the bioregion, there are also many practices taking place that counteract these actions. Human consumerism took a toll on the environment of the US Virgin Islands after colonization, much of which is still evident today. The impacts of human consumerism include afflictions such as toxic fertilizers and pesticides, mining pollution, sewage and solid waste disposal, and oil spill contamination. Disposal of the high volume of waste materials generated as a result of tourism traffic continues to pose serious problems. The Susannaberg Landfill on Saint John was closed after prolonged fires in the nineties and is now a transfer station, transporting the waste off of the island. The Anguilla Landfill on Saint Croix was forced to temporarily close earlier this summer after a dump fire released toxic fumes. Landfill fires can occur when methane gas accumulates deep beneath the landfill's surface causing the disposed waste to spontaneously combust. The Anguilla Landfill is estimated to exceed its threshold capacity in only a year, and the Bovoni Landfill on Saint Thomas is expected to reach its carrying capacity within the next few years. Constant tourism continues to add to the coastal degradation.

Environmental Ethics

            My representation of environmental ethics is an image of the earth being recycled. The picture is pretty straightforward, basically saying that we need to reuse our resources and treat the earth kindly. Environmental ethics is a philosophy in which we should carefully make decisions involving the environment so that they impact the environment in a positive way. Society should still use the resources given to them by nature, but learn to coexist with the environment rather than taking advantage of it.

Ppm Levels Reach 400 in the Arctic

The article “Greenhouse gas levels pass symbolic 400ppm CO2 milestone” from the online news source The Guardian, discusses the dangerous rising ppm levels in the Arctic. In 2007, “350” gained fame as the “safe” level of ppm for carbon dioxide on the earth. This measure was passed years ago and has risen to the shocking amount of 395ppm globally. Monitoring stations in the Arctic recorded that the ppm levels there have reached 400. The article declares that while this level is currently only in the arctic,  “…the rest of the world will follow soon.” This is a reminder of the trouble our planet is in, and the reason behind these skyrocketing levels. “Before the industrial age, levels were around 275ppm.” This is not an easy fix, due to the fact that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for 100 years, and the levels are continuing to rise. While some of the carbon dioxide is natural, humans are the main source of increasing carbon dioxide levels with “…emissions from fossil fuels hit[ting] a record high of 34.8 billion tonnes in 2011…” To repair the damage from human fossil fuels, Europe set a goal of limiting global warming to just 2 degrees, however, the International Energy Agency said it’s unlikely the world will be able to accomplish this goal.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/01/record-greenhouse-gas-trouble-scientists