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My name is Brianna Rodriguez. I was born and raised in Hialeah. I am Dominican. Additionally, I am currently a senior at City of Hialeah Educational Academy and a dual enrollee of MDC. I plan to pursue a career pathway in Computer Animation and I hope to work at Pixar or Disney Animation studios after earning a bachelors at FIU. Furthermore, my hobbies include drawing and animating.

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What is the issue with waste management in Miami and how is it being resolved?

1. Aguirre, L. (2021, April 29). Our litter on land is strangling Miami's waterways. WPLG. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/04/29/our-litter-on-land-is-strangling-miamis-waterways/?outputType=amp

In this article, it talks about how littering has started to become out of hand. It introduces a restaurant in South Beach and how garbage is driving away their customers due to overflow and smell of garbage floating on the idyllic Lake Pancoast. Garbage has gotten so bad that it began entering our waters, causing anoxia to arise. This killed the fish in Biscayne Bay. People have begun founding environmental volunteer groups such as the Clean Miami Beach to clean places that are heavily littered to save our waters.

2. Aguirre, L. (2021, October 6). High-tech garbage cameras may be Miami's answer to trash troubles. WPLG. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/10/06/high-tech-garbage-cameras-may-be-miamis-answer-to-trash-troubles/?outputType=amp

This article talks about how waste management in Miami is becoming high-tech. In other words, the city of Miami are investing in using cameras in dumpsters to reduce the amount of carbon footprint and help companies handle their wastes while saving the planet and money spent. With South Florida drowning in piles of garbage, the city of Miami believe that this innovation will do a great deal in waste management.

3. Pipitone, T. (2020, February 15). Hialeah mayor vows action against illegal dump after NBC 6 investigation. NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.nbcmiami.com/investigations/hialeah-ignores-inquiries-about-illegal-dump-plaguing-community/2189248/?amp

This article talks about how dumping has started to become illegal in some areas of Hialeah. When someone illegally dumps waste on a street, others begin to think that its okay and will dump waste in that area. This area ends up becoming a dumping ground for garbage. This causes garbage to pile up on streets in extremes. This is also what causes illegal dumping to occur. The Hialeah Mayor decided to tale action in going against this.

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After attending the training session, I finally understood how to use some great research tools, such as the EBSCO Ebook, Kanopy; to watch documentaries and movies, and the MDC Library. You could also use AskaLibrarian.com to ask a librarian for specific books or articles that you are looking for. Professor Duque did a great job of demonstrating how to use these tools thoroughly. She even gave examples using topics that we might be intrested in selecting, by putting in keywords or broad words that would give us alot of articles and books to pick to use as our resources. She even helped us where to locate these research tools. The one that I have already known and was good to listen to again and watch how to use was using the Miami Dade College Library. There were, however, certain things about how to use the library that I didn't know of, which was using the Library Category and the Tweak Your Results, which helps you with looking for something specific. She also gave some great research ideas that we can choose from and told us where we could get information regarding the subject. Finally, the topic I selected was waste management, because we live in a community where garbage isn't being managed as well

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For class assignment one, I wrote a reflection about a short film called “Eric Enos' Story of Ka'ala: Hawai'i Taro Farming". Before I found this short film, I wanted to write something regarding our environment and how we can help protect and nourish it. As I looked through all the types of films and documentaries there, I found from The Story of Stuff, I came upon this short film and grew an interest in it. Before watching the short film, I assumed that it would be about land as it has to do with farming, which it was. The video was about a land named Wai'anae, in which water was once a primary source. Additionally, there was also once a cultural tradition that used to be practiced on that land using water that not only fertilized the land but fed the community that lived there. The water was driven away when colonists visited the land and built in water pipes in the land, which affected the community’s sugar plantations and crops. Another video I found interesting was a documentary named, “The Story of Plastic”. Right after reading the title of the documentary, I knew immediately that it had to deal with waste and recycling. I am someone who is very concerned with the amount of waste that us humans produce in a day, so watching this documentary was really interesting. It showed how much garbage is being transported to China every day, and why there is so much waste floating in the ocean. It hurt me to watch how waste is currently being managed in the United States. It completely changed my perspective on recycling.I had learned a lot watching this documentary.

For class assignment two (CAS2), I decided to further my interest about our environments and the planet by choosing articles regarding forests and global warming. The first article was about the damages of glyphosate. It is a toxic, chemical herbicide that is used to stop the growth of plants. It’s what permanently stops the growth of plants and ultimately stops forests from expanding and growing. I learned that while trees can be cut down more can be planted to grow, but with this chemical it can permanently cease growth in areas where plants grow. In summary, clear cutting isn’t necessarily the big issue here. It also lures animals away. Another article I read was about things that are being done to reduce global warming. This article felt relieving to read because it shows that actions are being done to slowly recover damages that have been done to our planet.

For SP2, we had to attend a training session in order to select a controversial topic regarding Miami or the area in which we currently live in. After attending the training session, I finally understood how to use some great research tools, such as the EBSCO Ebook, Kanopy; to watch documentaries and movies, and the MDC Library. You could also use AskaLibrarian.com to ask a librarian for specific books or articles that you are looking for. Even though I already knew how to use some tools that Miami Dade college black board offers, it was refreshing to re-learn how to navigate to certain tools and how to use them. I found this assignment extremely helpful for the topic I chose.

For SP3, it helped me organize the articles I wanted to use for the topic I chose. I used the tools that were provided on black board to find the articles and documentaries that best explained the issues regarding the topic I chose, which was waste management in Miami and how it was being regulated on a daily basis.

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Documentary:

In the opening of the short film, "Eric Enos' Stroy of Ka'ala: Hawai'i Taro Farming" , Eric, co-founder and Executive Director of Ka'ala Farm, first demonstrates how water was a primary source in Wai'anae, which fertilized the land that his ancestors had cared for. Before the colonists came, he explained how his ancestors cared for and cultivated their lands and practiced a very important culture. This culture was called Taro farming, which would help feed their communitys' families. He explained a mythical story regarding the creations of Taro plants; where two gods came together, created and planted the baby. He then transitions on to when the colonists arrived and took away their water for their sugar plantations, leaving the native Hawaiians with no water. This would demolish every Taro plant, and destroy all their crops. After the occurence of such events, it led to the disapearance of their Taro farming culture along with every other practices that they did in their culture throughout the generations. He then transitions on to present day, when he is walking the land with a pair of students when he encountered a field covered in old, withered Taro plants and farms. He began educating his fellow students about the importantance  of Taro Farming and why water was crucial in Hawai'i. He also explained how he and his team began digging and making pipes to drive water back to their lands, which eventually would revive their forgotten lost culture.

In the documentary, "The Story of Plastic", it depicts places that are covered in absolute plastics, ranging from broken cardboards from resturaunts, empty chip bags, and plastic cups. It transitions from video to video depicting this. Featuring workers driving trucks, picking up garbage from one place to another, Martin Bourque, one of the workers that were interviewed in the video, explained how he and his coworkers have to figure out what to do with the plastics that people don't want anymore other than landfill them. They started receiving mixed piles of plastic garbage, instead of just plastic cups and cans. He explains how people believe that recycable plastics are good for the environment but in reality it isn't, and it isn't fair for the city and the people that recycle these garbages. The documentary then transitions on, showing ships deliverying garbage, explaining how the United States have been shipping fifty percent of it's garbage to China, and the cost for shipping the garbage have increased significantly. Clarissa Morawski, another person that was interviewed, was explaining behind the documentary stated that the United States believes that China will deal with all the garbage. She was explaining that China is getting tired of having to deal with so much garbage from the United States. The documentary shows communities in China getting piled up from garbage.

Reflection:

Being a U.S citizen, I practically consume almost the same products as every one else does in the United States. This includes food, electronics, etc. However, I feel like there are many companies that sell products that involve productions that are harmful to not only humans but to the environment. In the long run, it only positively benefits the company and sometimes the consumers. Many products are massed produced in factories that emitts tons and tons of carbon dioxide, which is extremely harmful to the environment, animals, and us human beings. Alongside the carbon dioxide, plastic is another thing that is also mass produced for comanies, which have been piling up waste and garbage in communities and in the ocean.

After watching "The Story of Plastic", I feel inspired to use the plastic that I tend to throw away in the recycling bin. Instead of simply tossing away a recycable piece of garbage, I can put it to good use.  have seen countless videos where people would clean plastic, decorate it and reuse them for things like water plants, planting, and storage. Personally, I am very big when it comes to things like this because we only have one planet and one planet that we can breathe in oxygen and live.

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Article 1:

Giving up Glyphosate

Troy Woodhouse was a young explorer who enjoyed admiring the view and noises of the Northern Ontario forests in his early twenties. When he began working as a forester who moved from forests to forests, he figured out what was causing the death of many shrubs, trees, and variety of other plants; Glyphosate. Glyphosate is a herbicide used to stop growth in weeds and other broadleaf plants and grasses. Since the introduction to glyphosate in the market in the 1970’s, there has been a high increase in glyphosate spraying in forests, which is causing a complete stop in plant growth(Donovan). It is not only stopping plant growth, but it is luring animals away and damaging habitats according to community and indigenous knowledge holders. Clear cutting isn’t the issue, as it is part of natures natural cycle. Scientists and industry players have recently claimed that this chemical is perfectly safe for humans and animals as it doesn’t penetrate through the skin, however it is still unclear whether it is or not due to disagreements. There have been many concerns and oppositions made towards the use of glyphosate but people and companies continue to use them.

Works Cited:

Donovan, M. (2022, January 25). Giving up glyphosate. Maisonneuve. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://maisonneuve.org/article/2022/01/25/giving-glyphosate/?utm_source=Solutions%2BStory%2BTracker

Article 2:

7 Hopeful Climate Stories from Around the Globe

Although after the first Earth day in 1970, humans have still been adding more and more damage towards the planet. There has been increase in fossil fuel burning and deforestation. However, there have been some hopeful signs from around the world that our community have been making small changes to protect the Earth before it is too late. According to India, they will use $6 billion in tax revenue to restore and encourage forest conservation. They gain $120 a year for every hectare of forest that they replant. They lose the same amount when deforesting. Ontario decided to put a price on carbon pollution, through their cap-and-trade program. Indonesia’s deforestation has dropped by half. According to observations and research, the UK’s greenhouse emissions decreased by more than eight percent. Beijing closed their last four coal-fired power stations. Lastly, Costa Rica began going using renewable resources.

Works Cited:

Busch, Jonah. “7 Hopeful Climate Stories from around the Globe.” Center For Global Development, 20 Jan. 2022, https://www.cgdev.org/blog/7-hopeful-climate-stories-around-globe?utm_source=Solutions%2BStory%2BTracker.

Reflection:

I have always been concerned regarding Global Warming and one of the causes of it; deforestation. Because of the little amount of what is being done to help the Earth, I felt as if Global Warming is just going to get worse and that I would just have to face the fact that nothing much is being done for it. After reading the second article, solutions Journalism helped to inform me about the changes and procedures that many companies are taking to help reduce the damage makes me feel a little more hopeful. For example, India using their $6 billion in revenue to restore and conserve forests, greenhouse gases decreasing in the UK…etc. As for article one, I feel like people should pit a stop to the use of herbicides like Glyphosate and pesticides. While it apparently does not harm humans, it does affect the environment. I learned that clearcutting isn’t necessarily the main issue, as it is part of nature’s cycle. For example, hurricanes, landslides, and fire. It’s not what’s being taken out of forests, it’s what is being put in. This article is an eye opener about these kinds of chemicals and why people should put a stop to them. Solutions Journalism presents these issues and solutions very informative compared to other media. News such as CNN, tend to be bias towards these kinds of subjects, which doesn’t allow us to get the important information that we need. The news doesn’t tell us that glyphosate is harmful to us or animals, or if anyone is doing anything to reduce the damage that is being done on Earth by Global Warming.

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Let the Environment Guide Our Development

In this TED Talk, Johan Rockstrom talks about how as people are more aware of what's happening to the Earth as our human race continues to rise, we need to be able to use these planetry risks as a way of finding ideas and making innovations to make a transformational change of human behavior to save the planet. He brings on stage a globe--which he refered to as a stakeholder--to demonstrate the gradual temperature changes that occured throughout the past 10,000 years. He continues on explaining the "Quadriple Squeeze" that humanity has been applying onto Earth; the increase of human growth, climate dilemma, a decline in ecosystems, and the "surprise" which is the notion and evidence that humans need to abondon the old paradigm that ecosystems behave linearly and predictably. He explains that we have entered a new geographical phase, called Anthropocene. He also talks about how scientists have only found nine planetry boundaries in which humans can operate in safetly on Earth. These boundaries are like danger zone fences that protect humans and the Earth.

Works Cited:

Rockström, Johan. “Let the Environment Guide Our Development.” Johan Rockström: Let the Environment Guide Our Development | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/johan_rockstrom_let_the_environment_guide_our_development.

Is This Our Final Century?

The first half of his Ted Talk, Martin Reese, an astromonist and someone who is concerned for the human race, explains the origin of our universe starting with the Big Bang. He included some of Darwin's theories. He explained the evolution of stars and gases in space such as our Sun. He also included pictures of Saturn's moon's surface and mars, etc. He went into depth about why we see small dots of lights in the night sky. This first half contributed and gave his audience a taste of what he would be talking about in his second half of his TED talk and to give his audience a better understanding of how biology works. He starts off introduing a book that Bill Joy wrote years ago regarding robots taking over humanity to explain how it showed that Bill wanted to get rid of the dangers of science and keep the good bits of it. H eincludes this because he is trying to tell the audience that as humans, we need to accept risks if we want to save the planet using science. He also explains how we are just in the beginning of planetry emergence of Earth.

Works Cited:

Rees, Martin. “Is This Our Final Century?” Martin Rees: Is This Our Final Century? | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_rees_is_this_our_final_century.

REFLECTION:

After watching these two TED talks, I can say that it really helped me better understand how people can come together to make ideas and make innovations to help the planet. These presenters were scientists that helped us better understand how our environment works, how we are affecting the Earth and why. We can come together to embrace the fact that we can apply today's technology into science. It is true, however, that science has its dangers; most of the time science can lead to harm or creations that can get out of hand or can end up in wrong uses. Martin Rees explains that we should accept the risks of involving the dangers of science because it is the only thing we can rely on when it comes to protecting our environments. By understanding the way our environments work, we can use that knowledge to change and modify our behaviors.

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What Causes the Difficulty to Care for Climate Change?

Climate change has always been a huge controversial topic for decades. However, no natter how much science is involved, people seem to lack their motivation to step up and make a change. This video explains that without an effective communication regarding the troubles of our climate, it won’t allow for people to step up and make changes. Instead, it makes people feel worried, sad, scared, and other types of negative emotions about it. This relates to our everyday life because you would only hear so much about this issue. Only a few magazines, TV commercials, radio stations, and news channels ever speak upon it, and when they do its only spoken about for a few minutes or is given a small—maybe a paragraph for a page— talking about the topic. This  video brings about the reason why people tend to speak up about it but won’t do much for it, making it difficult for people to really care for climate change. Climate change topics are only given one or two stories a day. There is only 0.60% of reporting about global warming according to the video. Communication is the primary and crucial key into making changes in the world. Without communication, there is no point of using science as proof that we should do something to make a change.

Works Cited:

It's hard to care about climate change. YouTube. (2022, March 18). Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://youtu.be/QK7g6pgaC7I