# data[].attributes.body
Hello, my name is Diana Segundo. I am a 18-year old woman that was raised from Peruvian culture. I am currently residing in Miami, Florida. My family came around to living in the United States during their childhoods. My mother fled to live amongst herself and her sisters in the late 1980's at Florida. My father was born and raised in the United States but was embraced within a close-knitted Cuban community in Chicago. Since I reside in Miami, I have taken it upon myself to further my studies at Miami Dade College. In Miami Dade College, I desire to focus on my ideal profession which is to become a child welfare social worker. I desire to accomplish an AA at Miami Dade College. Afterwards, I will like to transfer to Florida International University to get my bachelor's degree. I have always wanted to focus on a career that focused on helping others. When I become an official child welfare social worker, I will be able to commit towards my passion. My passion for my desired career field originates to helping children who handle various struggles and are not given the proper utilities to aid their struggles regarding their mental health . Depending on how far I am able to go with my goal, I aspire to create a non-profit organization that helps children that need assistance in healing one's mental health. In the meantime, I can't wait to see where I go in my journey and how far I can succeed!

# data[].attributes.headline
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Analysis

# data[].attributes.subject
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Analysis

# data[].attributes.body
Within the training session, the research tool that caught my attention was the online and in-person  tutoring. During the times of the existence of a pandemic and COVID-19, I like that there are research tools that can help them that are based on their preferences. Even though COVID-19 is still a prevalent matter, online tutoring is there to be able to help students who do not feel comfortable participating in traditional tutoring. Students are able to use tutoring to get insight from a new and different perspective that can help towards the student’s research. Tutoring can also provide developing the student’s researching abilities when working with a superior individual that acquires such abilities.

A crucial topic that is prevalent is the state of native plants and biodiversity. This topic acquires great importance because biodiversity is slowly becoming scarce. As mankind continues to evolve and expand upon one’s discoveries, change is definitely non-negotiable and can not be dismissed from human beings. Unfortunately, these changes human beings have initiated are hurting the environment’s biodiversity. “Due to human activity, such as habitat fragmentation and change, introduction of invasive alien species, harvesting, overexploitation, and pollution, the loss of biodiversity on all organizational levels is progressing at an alarming rate” (Fiebelkorn and Menzel 1). With such devastating statistics that are relevant right now, this is why I chose this topic to research, for the necessity of awareness so maybe one day society will commit to change to heal Earth.

# data[].attributes.headline
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Works Cited

# data[].attributes.subject
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Works Cited

# data[].attributes.body
Fiebelkorn, Florian, and Susanne Menzel. “Student Teachers’ Understanding of the Terminology, Distribution, and Loss of Biodiversity: Perspectives from a Biodiversity Hotspot and an Industrialized Country.” Research in Science Education (Australasian Science Education Research Association), vol. 43, no. 4, Springer Netherlands, 2012, pp. 1593–615, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-012-9323-0

# data[].attributes.headline
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Photo

# data[].attributes.subject
SP2: Human Development Causing Harm to Earth: Photo

# data[].attributes.headline
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Analysis

# data[].attributes.subject
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Analysis

# data[].attributes.body
1. Water Quality Protection

The following article will inform the audience what exactly water pollution is. In addition, the excerpt will elaborate upon the effects of water pollution. Water pollution is the event where human beings dirty and damage the quality of the planet’s water. With a negative profile of the planet’s water, the mentioned state can lessen the amount of water individuals can actually use for society; this can be to use it as: drinking water, to have showers, to wash laundry, etc. While there is trash and plastic material in the water, the planet loses its quantity of raw nourishment for human beings to use.

2. Pollution is Killing Biscayne Bay, There's very little Time to Save it, and it's Going to Cost a lot of Money to Rescue it

The mentioned article references how water pollution is specifically affecting Miami’s water supply and the animals that reside within it. While contaminated water can harm human beings, it can also harm the aquatic animals that view water as their home. In regards to Florida, Biscayne Bay’s condition is slowly deteriorating because of the state’s gruesome condition of water pollution.

3. Florida Has Spent Millions Fixing Water Pollution and Algal Blooms

This article illustrates how Florida’s water pollution is affecting human beings, in an economic manner. With the state’s abundant amount of pollution that has affected humans and animals, the community is attempting to clean the state’s water condition. Unfortunately with how alarming the condition is, Florida is facing millions of dollars to attempt to resolve the matter.

# data[].attributes.headline
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Works Cited

# data[].attributes.subject
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Works Cited

# data[].attributes.body
Ceballos, Joshua, and Alex DeLuca. “Florida Has Spent Millions Fixing Water Pollution and Algal Blooms.” Miami New Times, https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-has-spent-millions-fixing-water-pollution-and-algal-blooms-11687113

“Pollution is killing Biscayne Bay, there's very little time to save it, and it's going to cost a lot of money to rescue it | Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.” The Greater Miami Chamber Of Commerce, https://www.miamichamber.com/news/pollution-killing-biscayne-bay-theres-very-little-time-save-it-and-its-going-cost-lot-money

“Water Quality Protection.” Miami-Dade County, 13 May 2021, https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/water-protection.asp

# data[].attributes.headline
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Video

# data[].attributes.subject
SP3: How Does Water Affect Miamians?: Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oceana report: Ocean plastic pollution is becoming marine wildlife’s No. 1 killer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A report released by Oceana quantifies how much marine wildlife is being killed or injured by ocean plastic pollution.

# data[].attributes.body
1. “The Story of Water” https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-water/

“The Story of Water” emphasizes the importance of water. Since human beings need water to survive, many believe that the identity of water should be a common good that all individuals should have an easy access to. Unfortunately, while it does take materials and time to maintain a wider spectrum to access water in society, many cities can become victims to corporations within this field. Private corporations can mold a facade that deceives people to believe they are able to help widen the accessibility of water. Unfortunately, the same corporations prioritize profit over any other idea; this perception can ultimately harm the city’s citizens due to increased water expenses that one may not be able to meet. It is essential to recognize the value of water and those who need it. If the community can enforce water expenses that suit a person’s income, the community will be able to grow profit that can help maintain the care towards water without provoking stress to its citizens.

2. “The Story of Plastic” https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-plastic-animation/

“The Story of Plastic” explores the devastating reality towards the effects of plastic. From its production to its distribution, the identity of plastic has proven to damage the planet’s environment. When creating plastic, fossil fuels are used which harms the community that surrounds the factory that is creating the mentioned product; not only that, plastic and its creation method has become an easier interpretation to grow profit due to its effortless supply. While society demands to promote an abundance of plastic, society fails to recognize how to maintain the supply of plastic. Therefore, one may view how society chooses to do more harm than good for the matter. These actions can range from viewing companies burning plastic which produces more dangerous gases that pollute the atmosphere, to witnessing gruesome landfills that just build up and dirty the community. The goal to minimize the evolution of plastic can be found from its origin: the production stage. The narrator demonstrates that if society halts or severely minimizes the production of creating plastic, one might actually witness society healing and making Earth a better home to reside in.

Reflection

Consumption is an act all global citizens have experienced. Regardless of which material is present during consumption, these processes are everywhere. From handling your drive-thru order from McDonalds to opening an Amazon package, these organizations produce so much material that have the ability to harm the environment; it all matters as to how we handle consumption. As someone who is actively concerned about the well-being of my home, I always try to reduce my acts of consumption. The following can be viewed when I refuse to have all of my groceries in a dozen plastic bags and recycle whenever I have the ability to. As a global citizen to a world that has experienced pollution in various degrees, I always try to do good for my home so I can live in a cleaner world, knowing that I did my part as a resident of Earth.

After viewing the following videos, the films inspired me to be more mindful about the home in which billions of us reside in. This home will not stand forever; thus, it is crucial that everyone in the world learns to treat and maintain their home to further aid the world’s lifespan. A few actions I have been inspired to implicate in my daily life would have to be using less plastic materials. While I view the use of many Ziploc bags to be a key in organization towards my snacks, the consumption of many plastic materials will harm the Earth in the long run. In addition, I would like to store documents and receipts in a digital manner to lessen my consumption of paper.

# data[].attributes.body
Food Waste is Going to Take Over the Fashion Industry.

Various food waste products such as banana peels and pineapple leaves acquire fibers that can be reused to create fabric from garments; the mentioned statement is a practice that has been from the 1960’s. The issue at hand was that a scarce quantity of companies were involved with this practice. Therefore, Isaac Nichelson decided to spread awareness of this practice so that there is less waste in the world. The drive that Nichelson acquired came from the shocking statistic that all eaten bananas make up around 270 million tons of waste within a course of only a year. Since then, Nichelson met up with material scientist, Yitzac Goldstein, and Geof Kime to drive his motive. The three men produced circular systems to make the dream happen; thanks to modern technology, circular systems made the mission come true; circular systems created the process of Orbital which acted upon extracting the fibers from the waste into new durable yarn. Thanks to their system, their creation will slowly evolve the fashion industry to promote  less waste to the world.

Fashion has a waste problem. These companies want to fix it.

In the fashion world, there is an alarming quantity of waste. The fashion waste can be originated from unsold inventory and deadstock fabric. These waste identities from the fashion industry are associated with 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. With these unfortunate discoveries, fashion companies are gradually becoming aware and desire to do good for the world (and most likely for the integrity of the brand’s name). Nonetheless, these companies’ alternative is to enforce stricter cautiousness in regards to the production of their inventory. By using smarter trend predictions and fabric cutting tools, companies are expecting to produce less waste to better the community with less waste from their products.

Reflection

When analyzing the following articles, I could not ignore the difference in journalism and other media. In the world of journalism, I feel as if I am being educated from the journalist. The article demonstrates to their audience, such as myself,  in- depth evidence, research, and information that gets me more involved into the mentioned subject in which they are trying to portray. In comparison to other media, readers can not feel as if they are being indulged into the material because the art of journalism is what uniquely captivates an audience. Journalism uses specific references and key words to evoke and pull in their audience towards their motive. Whether it be to have the  audience agree in political ideologies or (in this case) to persuade people to jump into the idea of being aware of pollution, these actions can be strongly enforced mainly towards journalism. In regards to the articles I read, I feel strongly towards the journalist’s motive in their subject. I can truly see and understand the crucial importance of being aware and finding solutions to one’s actions that are hurting the planet we all reside in. Thanks to the journalists of these articles, they were able to captivate and convince their audience into what they are trying to portray.

# data[].attributes.body
Before I had engaged in the activity that is SP2, I believed upon my confidence that I was resilient in acknowledging the various essential learning tools students, such as myself, are given. In the other part of the assignment, I also felt the same way when having to identify the crucial awareness one should have, in regards to the native plants in the world's biodiversity. As an honor student from secondary schooling, I believed I understood the main tools students are able to incorporate in their student lifestyle. I assumed that each tool correlated to a student’s individual learning style that best suits them to succeed. In the other assignment’s subject, I assumed that the state of many plants on Earth are severely low because of the actions human beings have conducted in their home for many decades. Even though I felt as if I already understood each subject of the SP2 assignment, experiencing a meeting that emphasized the given topics helped me to further relearn and reestablish knowledge that I have learned from previous classes. Regardless of how much information one can remark that they acquire, it is always beneficial to reinstate what you know.

In the SP3 assignment, my objective was classifying the identity, cause, and effect of water pollution, specifically in Florida. While anyone in my age category can identify what exactly water pollution is, I think it is important to know the depth analysis of what actions human beings are doing to construct these harmful behaviors. I learned that within any idea of revolutionizing the expansion of modern society, there is a high chance that human beings will harm their environment in the process. While many organizations do not intentionally desire to damage the environment, the aquatic life and condition of the world’s water supply are two prominent factors companies should be mindful of when wanting to succeed. In addition to the effects of water pollution, it takes a large quantity of money to clean up one’s mistakes that will evidently harm mankind’s existence. Millions of dollars are used to attempt to maintain the condition of the Earth’s water so it does not become a scarce necessity. While these lessons are not shocking, my expectations towards this assignment were beaten. This lesson helped expand my understanding and allowed me to experience the crucial awareness everyone should have when caring for water.

When I was in the process of completing CAS2, I could see my knowledge flourishing from being educated on topics that were foriegn to my understanding. While the assignment wanted students to explore two excerpts that covered the same idea, one of the excerpts I used for the given assignment acquired a perception that never crossed my mind. The article, “Fashion has a waste problem. These companies want to fix it” provided me a look into the behind the scenes and the harmful acts the fashion world has normalized. This article informs the audience to reveal that while many fashion companies have produced millions of waste, slowly but surely, the same companies are attempting to do good in the world and minimize their harm. Seeing the process of how a one person idea blossomed to a project of various participants allowed me to learn so much of things I had little knowledge of. This activity has also proved to me that there are many products that are versatile enough to reuse to help prevent waste production. A popular example, such as reusing used and leftover material, can help inventory from ordering too much and having companies choose to throw out unused products which is responsible for “10% of the world’s carbon emissions”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle | Happy Learning ♻️ ♻️ ♻️

# data[].attributes.body
“Food Waste is Going to Take Over the Fashion Industry.” Solutions U, https://solutionsu.solutionsjournalism.org/stories/fashion-has-a-waste-problem-these-companies-want-to-fix-it.

“Fashion has a waste problem. These companies want to fix it.” Solutions U, https://solutionsu.solutionsjournalism.org/stories/food-waste-is-going-to-take-over-the-fashion-industry.

# data[].attributes.body
“What Nature can Teach Us about Sustainable Business” by Erin Meezan.

In the regarded video, the speaker, Erin Meezan, illustrates an analogy throughout her presentation. Based on her ideologies, it is apparent to recognize the comparisons and differences in how human beings control matters and how nature effortlessly controls matters. Meezan promotes how nature uses elements within homeostasis and natural selection to develop with the developing planet and to prosper for many future generations on Earth. She points out that nature’s sense of efficiency is admirable to the point that even human beings should take notes at such. An example Meezan presented was the innovation of how many plants store carbon for usage in a way that does not harm the environment. Thus, human beings should become mindful and create ways that can help one’s circumstances that do not evidently harm their home.

“The Intended Consequences of Helping Nature Thrive” by Ryan Phelan.

In the regarded video, the speaker, Ryan Phelan, discusses the effects human beings have coerced that has negatively affected the overall community of which mankind has chosen to reside upon. While they discuss the differences between intentional and unintentional consequences human beings have demonstrated, they emphasize these actions can be handled in a beneficial way. A prominent example is when Phelan informs the reader of Elizabeth Ann. Ann is a ferret that is a part of a special ferret species that is slowly becoming extinct. While scientists can commit to inbreeding, these actions can result in the loss of genetic variation. That is why Elizabeth Ann was created by scientists to help benefit her species to produce more genetic variation for the species’ future generations. These intentional actions can allow nature to prosper and have these ferrets live for more generations.

Reflection

When viewing the following presentations, it had awakened a new perception that I did not recognize when seeing the raw reality of the effects human beings do that can harm Earth as a long-term effect. While it is easy to understand the laws of cause and effect, it felt completely different to see these videos and see actions, that I did not even know were occurring, that will permanently affect the condition of the planet where billions of organisms live in. Human beings, similar to how nature commits to its obligations, adapt to further evolve their civilization; this has been proven to be effective. The issue of the matter is that human beings suffer when it comes to developing their society in a way that lessens their resources. When it comes to nature, scientists have seen plants and animals evolve to adapt to their evolving home. The basis of the two video presentations is to emphasize on focusing on the identity of nature because of how skillful and beneficial it can be when acknowledging the greatness of nature.

# data[].attributes.body
Meezan, Erin. “What nature can teach us about sustainable business.” TED, 14 February 2022, https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_meezan_what_nature_can_teach_us_about_sustainable_business.

Phelan, Ryan. “Ryan Phelan: The intended consequences of helping nature thrive.” TED, 22 September 2021, https://www.ted.com/talks/ryan_phelan_the_intended_consequences_of_helping_nature_thrive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Erin Meezan is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface, the groundbreaking global commercial flooring company that is committed to running their business in a way that is restorative to the planet and creates a climate fit for life.

Don't miss Erin's discussion during the closing plenary session of the Climate Leadership Conference - Beyond Zero: Introducing the Climate Take Back.
Since you've been working with Interface, how has the landscape for sustainability changed? Have the goalposts shifted?
I've been working in sustainability for over 20 years, I've been with Interface for over 15, and this summer marked the 25th anniversary of our founder and former chairman Ray Anderson's game-changing speech. Back then he challenged our company to become a sustainable enterprise with the goal of having net-zero impact on the environment. Mission Zero® made us a pioneer, learning how to define and implement sustainability at a time when few companies were pursuing it.

We focused on three key areas of the business: our factories, our products and our raw materials. Over the last 25 years, we've made remarkable progress, with results including:

a 92 percent reduction of waste to landfill across our global factory locations;

an 89 percent water use reduction in factories globally;

a shift to 89 percent of our global energy coming from renewable sources, with 100 percent of our electricity globally covered by renewable sources; and,

a 69% reduction in the carbon footprint of our products.

Fast forward to 2019 and a number of things have changed. First, sustainability leadership is no longer about having targets focused on lessening the environmental impact of your business. Twenty-five years ago, a net-zero footprint was revolutionary. Five years ago, we realized this wasn't enough: we needed to shift from do-no-harm ethos to a new kind of benchmark focused on delivering positive results.

By 2016 we were close to achieving Mission Zero so we set a new mission focused on what we perceive to be the biggest challenge: carbon. Instead of setting targets against our prior performance, we asked what the planet needs us to deliver.
What are the biggest challenges in this new approach to sustainability?
One of the challenges in terms of results is that our biggest carbon impact is in our supply chain, so we can't take direct action to mitigate it. We need to educate, influence and advocate for the change we want to see. We have worked very hard to build awareness and increase engagement around these issues through our relationships with our suppliers and by doing things like bringing in guest speakers to talk to them. We've also been able to affect change through competition. For example, we have told our yarn suppliers that whoever gives us recycled content first will enjoy the majority of our business.

We're also trying to use our influence on a broader scale by pushing for legislation that can make a difference. In the past three years we have worked with a lobbyist in California to influence and pass amendments to California's innovative carpet recycling law. We also intend to engage more deeply on making sure that the State incorporates sustainability at the front end of this cycle through innovative purchasing practices that prioritize sustainability considerations - and particularly carbon emissions. We're seeking to amend California's "buy clean" legislation, which passed in 2017, so that it includes not just construction materials like steel and cement, but also interior building products like flooring. For example, when a state agency is going to build a new building or undertake significant construction, they should consider embodied carbon as a screen in construction and interior finished materials. We're trying to expand this to all built environment materials. If just our business goes carbon negative, we won't stop global warming...but the ripple effect in the government, corporate and university sectors could have a huge impact.

Another different kind of challenge is that we need a whole new set of metrics to measure positive impacts. Some great progress has been made through the Handprint methodology, but we are definitely at the beginning of the journey when it comes to measuring progress against these kinds of targets.
What is the biggest opportunity?
If you look at the square footage of new commercial construction and renovations between now and 2050, we are building the equivalent of a new New York City every month for the next 40 years. We think embodied carbon in the built environment has been a huge blind spot, and one that architects and designers can readily address. Over the next two decades, we want to work with architects, interior designers, design firms, and big companies on decarbonizing the built environment by funding tools like the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool, by supporting policy, and by having an influence wherever we can - if every one of our sales people talks to two people every day, we can have a big impact on changing hearts and minds.

Last month was exciting because embodied carbon calculator tool was launched - it's a free open-source tool that allows customers to see and compare construction and interiors materials for free. This puts good information in the hands of consumers so they can make choices that have a more positive impact on the environment.
Tell me about the Carbon-Negative Company initiative.
Our goal is to get our company to carbon negative by 2040. That means that we remove more carbon than we produce. We introduced a prototype carbon-negative product in 2017, one that stores more carbon than it emits. Building on the lessons of that prototype, we commercialized the first carbon-negative carpet backing in 2018, and in 2019 we invested in new raw materials and technology to make or offer carbon-negative products to customers in 2020. This was possible through a combination of shifting to backing materials that are bio-based and recycled materials that store carbon, introducing new manufacturing processes and new technologies, and using renewable energy and more efficient processes.

Now that we've proven that the product is market ready, we're working on getting state procurement agencies to demand it, and to have companies put it in their RFPs and specifications. We're more optimistic than ever - if we can develop a carbon-negative product in five years, so can every flooring manufacturer and drywaller and cement company. The possibilities are very exciting.
What have you learned so far on the path to negative carbon?
The status quo is hard to overcome. I think that we're learning that a new challenge like carbon negative leads you to look in directions you previously were not. It also seems hard and expensive, but we've proven that starting with a prototype approach, we've been able to shift toward carbon-negative products in a short timeframe. We're also learning that our customers have a strong desire to address carbon in the built environment, but they need the tools and the products to do it. Many people seem to believe that it will take too much capital to transition to low carbon or negative carbon economy. One of the things we've found over the last four to five years is that, by challenging our folks to create a carbon-negative product, we've looked at raw materials we've never looked at before and we've become more innovative than ever.

It's clear that global climate change is a huge issue but many individuals feel disempowered, and aren't sure what to do. If you can link what they do - such as picking materials for their built environments - with a positive impact, it makes them feel like they can do something.
What are you looking forward to at the 2020 Climate Leadership Conference?
The shift we're seeing in the level of corporate ambition on climate is fierce, and I'm also excited about the growth of the Science-Based targets movement. I'm looking forward to hearing more about those ambitions and how to action them in terms of a business plan. We don't have the pathway to carbon negative completely figured out - we have the products, but still have a ways to go on our supply chain, operational footprint, and raw materials - so I'm interested to get ideas from others on how we motivate people to move in that direction...how do we link all this work we're doing and unlock the connection with people? What do we want to accomplish collectively? This is an incredibly important and timely conversation and I'm happy to be part of it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Go Beyond Net Zero: A Conversation with Interface CSO Erin Meezan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Erin Meezan is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface, the groundbreaking global commercial flooring company that is committed to running their business in a way that is restorative to the planet and creates a climate fit for life. Don't miss Erin's discussion during the closing plenary session of the Climate Leadership Conference - Beyond Zero: Introducing the Climate Take Back.

# data[].attributes.body
In DW Plant A's "Is Vegan the 'Better' Meat?", the speaker reviews how in recent years, the modern society has publicly popularized the idea of being vegan or a vegetarian. Foods such as tofu has been used as an alternative that pushes away from the idea of meat. Now, many businesses have promoted vegan and vegetarian products for their specific demographic. While these products are generally made out vegetables, the speaker presents a controversial question that is always been debated from both sides for years: Is the vegan or vegetarian alternative choice a healthy one? When analyzing the following matter, one must acknowledge the breakdown of these alternatives; most vegan and vegetarian foods are made up of soy, pea, and wheat. Other ingredients in these foods often influence the taste of the food. An example of the following is veggie patties. While this product is promoted to be made from plants, there are many ingredients in the patty that make the taste similar to meat.

The answer is that vegan and vegetarian choices of food carry similar nutritional facts, if not more. Even though these declarations may sound shocking, the speaker informs their audience upon the reality of the matter. Many vegan and vegetarian choices of food are given high processed ingredients that make them as balanced as regular foods, in regards to the balances of traditional foods.

# data[].attributes.body
DW Plant A, "Is Vegan the 'Better' Meat?", Youtube, 16 April 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TvNjOrC9lM&ab_channel=DWPlanetA