4-18-17

The first sentence I chose to quote is “Appalachians, or at least non-Cherokee Appalachians, sometimes are represented as being exploiters of the environment; at the same time, they also may be characterized as having a strong sense of place.”. This quote is in Michael Ann Williams article "When I Can Read My Title Clear". I chose this sentence because I find it interesting that the people of Appalachia have two stereotypes. In my perspective, I see the first one to be partially true and partially false. They are thought to exploit the environment which I think is partially true because a lot of the communities want mining to produce jobs or use nature to promote tourism. I find it to also be partially false because a lot of people in the communities fight against this because they want to protect their homes and community. The second stereotype of characterization is that the people of the Appalachians have a strong sense of place. I agree with this because most people in these communities don’t leave or travel anywhere so this makes their homes the only place they know and they are very attached.

http://blog.okfn.org/2011/09/06/freeing-train-data/

The second sentence I decided to quote is also from Michael Ann Williams article. “More to the point, even if the non-Indian settlers had wanted to exploit the environment, their ability to do so was limited by the difficulty of transportation.”. I chose this sentence because to me it is saying that the stereotype of people in the Appalachians exploiting the environment could not be true because the transportation in and out of the mountains severely limits the ability to exploit it.

http://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-adventure/national-parks

The third sentence I quoted is from T. Young’s article. “As land acquisition began in late 1925, the property that would become the park was held in more than 6600 separate tracts, all of which had to be purchased and vacated”.  I chose this sentence because I find the subject controversial. Parks are very important but is it fair the remove the current residents of the land needed to create them. I think that if the government offered an appropriate amount of money to the residents then maybe it would be less controversial; however most of the time the residents are offered an extremely inadequate amount of money for their land.

Williams, M. (2002). Culture, Environment and Conservation in the Appalachian South. Board of Trustees

of the University of Illinois: Illinois.

Young, T. (2006). False, cheap and degraded: when history, economy and environment collided at Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Journal of Historical Geography: Pomona.

4-11-17

The first sentence that stood out to me in this article is “The total production of natural gas has increased by more than 30% during the past decade.” (Environ. Sci. Technol). This sentence grabbed my attention because I find it amazing that this percentage has increased so dramatically. I think that the use of natural gases is very important and is changing energy use in a huge way.  However, I think that drilling and fracturing described in the same paragraph as this quote is too harmful to the environment.  Since this kind of extraction is so harmful and invasive to nature I think that the benefits may not be enough to justify it.

http://blogs.idahostatesman.com/natural-gas-drillers-get-pemits-from-state-for-payette-county-wells/

The second sentence that I decided to use as a quote is “Elevated levels of methane and other aliphatic hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane in shallow drinking water wells pose a potential flammability or explosion hazard to homes with private domestic wells.” (Environ. Sci. Technol).  I chose this sentence because I feel like not enough people are educated on the water contamination to extraction of natural gases. If more people were educated on this repercussion, then maybe there would be more rules and regulations to protect water. The protection of water against contamination from natural gases is not only important to the environment but also to people because it is very dangerous.

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/05/13/federal-government-expected-to-unveil-fracking-regulations-for-public-lands-soon/a-natural-gas-drilling-rig-operates-as-natural-gas-piping-rises-from-underground-outside-rifle/

The third sentence I chose because it really sums everything up, it is “Our survey of the literature has identified four plausible risks to water resources associated with shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing” (Environ. Sci. Technol). The fact that there are 4 risks just stated in this article alone should tell people the dangers of gathering natural gases in the ways described in the article has way too much of a risk. Hydraulic drilling and fracturing is harmful to all of nature and not just our water supply, but our water supply is the biggest issue. It causes contamination and even explosions in homes due to the gases contaminating the water being flammable.

Vengosh A, Jackson B, Warner N, Darrah H, Kondash A. (2014). A Critical Review of the Risks to Water Resources from Unconventional Shale Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States.file:///C:/Users/akoch/Downloads/Vengosh%202014%20Review%20of%20risks%20to%20water%20resources%20from%20fracking.pdf

4-4-17

The first sentence that I chose was “This multilayered region is increasingly the focus of debates pitting the short-term economic value of coal and timber against the long-term value of a diverse forest system and topography”(Howell). because it reminded me about what we talked about in our North American Environment class. We talked about how one of the ideas the new president is trying to pass is additional mining in the mountains which would create additional jobs for the communities that need it. Whether I like the presidents views overall or not, I did not agree with this one. Yes, it will create jobs but they will be short term ones, and this will also aid in the deconstruction of nature in those areas.

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/20/king-coal-underground-economic-engine-routt-county/

The second sentence I chose is “For projects that radically transform ecosystems, the checklist approach of federal legislation designed to protect air, water, wildlife, prime farmland, and a narrow range of cultural resources is inadequate.”(Howell).  I chose this one because there is a lot of truth to it. I agree that there are inadequate laws and regulations regarding the protection of our environment from industries that damage the environment. I know that in some areas there are rules that companies must leave the environment that they do their mining/logging in the same condition or better than before they started the project.

The third sentence that I chose from the article is “The prime locations for ginseng are found on the north-facing, wet sides of these depressions.”(Howell). I chose this sentence because I have heard a lot about the ginseng plant from my sister and people I work with, but I have never really thought about what it looks like or where it comes from. In this section of the article I especially liked this sentence because it included a detailed description of the type of places you would look for it in the environment. I think that this plant has many holistic uses for it and society needs to be more aware of where the supplements or ingredients they use come from.

http://identifythatplant.com/virginia-creeper-and-ginseng/ginseng-3/

Howell B. (2002). Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Chicago.

3-30-17

The first quote that stood out to me was “Higher elevations would have been tundra-like, possibly similar to what one might find in modern-day northern Canada and Alaska.” ( HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS).  This quote caught my attention because I am a person who hates high temperatures to the point they put me in a bad mood. I always think about how I wish that everywhere was colder than it is. To find out in this statement that the area we are studying was once similar to Canada and Alaska is amazing to me because I have always wanted to move to those places because they are so cold. This really makes me wonder if one day the temperatures will drop again like this.

http://www.cruisebrothers.com/alaska-cruise-image.htm

This next quote I chose because it makes me think of where I am from. “The Revolutionary War, or American War of Independence, extended from 1775 to 1787 and resulted in the establishment of the United States as an independent country.” (HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS). Being from Massachusetts, there is a lot of history revolving around the revolutionary war there. When we were children , we were brought to historical sites such as where the Boston Tea Party took place. It is strange that we never learned a lot about how other places like the Appalachians were affected, I feel like there should be more thought on the subject that doesn’t involve just New England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Tea_Party-Cooper.jpg

“As soon as settlers started moving into the region, logging of small areas of forest began.” (HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS). I chose this sentence because I think logging is one of the worst things to happen to the forests of the Appalachians. It amazes me that so much damage was done to the forest and that some areas have not recovered. There are different types off logging but clear cutting is the worst and was used so much that it really scarred the region.

Stephenson, S. (2013). HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. West Virginia University Press  :Canada.

blog American Nations

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “When the American Revolution broke out, British officials were still debating how best to restrict the emigration of the Borderlanders.” This statement really stood out to me because it related to the problems America is having today. A largely controversial topic that is spoken about often is border control to fight immigrants from other countries from coming onto American soil. Whether a person disagrees or not about allowing people to immigrate to their country there is no doubt that it is a large topic not only on United States soil but in other country’s too.

http://googlemapseurope.blogspot.com/2011/05/map-of-great-britain-pictures.html

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “But Greater Appalachia started as a civilization without a government.” This sentence caught my attention because as a person who does not know a lot about the formation a Appalachia, I found it interesting that not only has this community been around this long but it also was not controlled by government. When thinking about the history of the United States there are a lot of instances that include the government taking control or forcing control of people. Even going back to when there were just the first few colonies formed in this country, they were still being controlled by the British government. So, the fact that this community fought so hard and lasted so long is incredible to me.

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/native-americans/images/34175309/title/native-american-wallpaper

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “Borderlanders lived among the Native Americans on whose land they were usually trespassing”. This sentence really relates back to the Native American presentations we did in class. The Native Americans were treated so poorly by so many people and this is what that sentence makes me think of. So much land was taken from them that a lot of Native American tribes that originated in the Appalachian Mountains were forced to relocate to the center of the country. Not only did a lot relocate but many tribes now cease to exist.

Woodard, C. (2011). AMERICAN NATIONS :A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. New York; Penguin Group.

Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system

In my honest opinion, this paper was very heavy which made it confusing for me to comprehend so I think that I didn’t get as much out of this article as I should have or could have if it was written in simpler terms that I understood better. From what I could gatheer, this is what stood out to me the most in the article.

“People and nature have always been intertwined—people receive many services from ecosystems, and society, in turn, affects ecosystems, sometimes severe” (Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system). I feel like this sentence is very true, we are intertwined with nature. Although I feel this is true, I think that we have a very negative effect on nature. We do not have a mutual relationship, it’s more like the relationship that a tick and a person has. We are just sucking the life out nature like a tick does to us. The effects that we have on nature may seem small when you think about the fertilizer you use on your lawn, but it spreads much bigger than that. Every person thinks that they’re only one person and they won’t make a big difference, but when millions of people are saying that, then it does.

I’m going to combine my last two quotes in one because they are linked to each other.” Meeting human needs without environmental degradation is more likely to occur when a broad spectrum of ecosystem services are sustained (Daily 1997, MEA 2005). These include the harvest of water, food, and fuel; the interactions among ecosystems that regulate water quality, climate, and spread of disturbance and disease; and the non-material spiritual, aesthetic, and cultural benefits that cause people to value nature and life.” (Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system). I agree with both sentences too because it is true that until better methods are in effect, the environment will continue to suffer due to human needs. I think that fuel is the largest contributor, if we could better implement solar electricity into our daily lives then nature would be much better off. North Carolina has recently become one of the leading states that uses solar energy efficiently. If we can all incorporated ideas along the lines of this the planet won’t suffer from our needs as much.

 http://www.greenerideal.com/alternative-energy/0319-celebrating-sun-solar-energy-and-the-equinox/

Chapin, III, F. S., M. E. Power, S. T. A. Pickett, A. Freitag, J. A. Reynolds, R. B. Jackson, D. M. Lodge, C. Duke, S. L. Collins, A. G. Power, and A. Bartuska. 2011. Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system. Ecosphere 2(8):art89. doi:10.1890/ES11-00166.1

Chapter 7

The first quote that stood out to me was “Ingstad and his wife had investigated the north American coast from Florida to Labrador over the course of fifteen years, in an unsuccessful search for Viking landing sites” (Weidensaul). This statement stood out to me a lot because I have made the drive up the east coast from the southernmost point of Florida to only Maine. This is a huge amount of space to cover and I also feel that it is the most beautiful stretch of the United States. It amazes me that all out of all the times I have driven up this stretch of land I never once thought about the Vikings. I also never thought about the interaction between the Vikings and native American tribes like the author spoke about in the book. To me it is interesting to think about how they communicated back and forth when some tribes had their own language, and the Vikings were coming from a different country.

“In 1835 the federal government signed a spurious treaty with a handful of Cherokee who acted without the tribe’s authorization.” This sentence stood out to me because I find it interesting that just a few Cherokee people could sign away the tribe’s land without authorization. It also makes me think about how the government took advantage of the Cherokee people in this instance. It shows how the government was ruthless to all native American tribes and this is just one of the many examples.

The last quote that stood out to me was “The Cherokee got embroiled in the French and Indian war, first as allies with the British, but eventually falling out with them bloodily in the conflict known as the Cherokee war.” (Weidensaul). This stood out to me because I find it interesting that normal grade schools teach us about the big wars that affected us but not the ones that affected others especially the ones we lost or the ones that we look like the bad guys in. I was never told about the Cherokee war and I find that it is a very important event in history.

http://www.beastsofwar.com/saga/muster-beneath-banner-saga-vikings/





http://thenephilimchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/07/cherokee-and-mound-builders.html






http://adventuresofrabin.blogspot.com/2010/10/predictions-for-tonights-east-coast.html


Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 6

The first quote by Scott Weidensaul in Chapter 6 that stood out to me was “This once the most widespread game animal in North America, from western Vermont and Massachusetts down through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and in the mountains of Georgia, then west across the Plains to the Pacific.”. This sentence stood out to me because when I lived in Massachusetts we would go hiking a lot and one of the animals we would see was an elk. Every year they would get harder to find. It’s interesting to me that they used to be the most abundant game animal, I always thought that was deer.

http://nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/mammals/elk/page.htm

The second quote of Weidensauls I liked was “The last wolf in the Pennsylvania Appalachians was probably shot in 1892 in Clearfield County, a little south where I now sit in the spring time sun, although some people claim that the species grimly hung on until 1902, just nudging under the wire of the twentieth century before being snuffed out.”. This sentence caught my eye because I knew nothing about how wolves became endangered or how certain species are extinct. I know that there are wolf sanctuaries in Florida but I did not know that they were widely hunted in the Appalachian Mountains. I always thought that the hunters only cared about deer and game birds. Wolves are very intelligent creatures and it is sad to think about how some have gone extinct because of humans hunting them.

http://king-animal.blogspot.com/2012/07/wolf.html

The last sentence that stood out to me the most was “While the mushrooming tract housing cannot ultimately be good for them, many bears have adapted to their new neighbors, perhaps sensing the opportunities that human provide.”  This statement by Weidensaul is so true to me. I think that if humans are invading bear’s space by putting in houses the bears are obviously going to take advantage of what’s now in the area. I think it’s amazing that bears are so adaptable that this boom didn’t wipe them out. People think that bears are dangerous nuisance but they are just misunderstood. In my opinion they’re like giant dogs, if you leave food out they are going to come and find it and if you scare them, they’re going to defend themselves. The way bears are judged is truly saddening because bears are my favorite animal and they are treated so poorly.

http://bearlegend.com/bear-facts/grizzly-bear/





Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 5

The first quote on chapter 5 that stood out to me is “It wheeled a big black bird that looked more like a raptor than a crow, its closest relative.” (Widensaul). This sentence stood out to me because I feel ravens are a very misunderstood bird, the author even touches on the distaste some people had for them. I find it interesting that such a large stigma can surround something as simple as a bird. The famous poet Edgar Allen Poe even had a raven as the main part of one of his dark poems. The author talks about how the Europeans brought their hatred for them to the United States. I don’t find Ravens to be particularly beautiful but the description the author uses in the quote I cited accurately describes them.

https://kitundu.wordpress.com/tag/common-raven/

The second quote that jumped out at me was “I went bushwhacking once Baxter State Park in Maine, following a topo map and a compass through the woods.” (Weidensaul). The reason this one stood out to me because when I was growing up in Massachusetts my grandparents had a cabin in the mountains of Maine, and one of my favorite things to do was to explore in the woods with my sister and grandparents. Although I did not bushwhack, I would randomly pick leaves and twigs that I found interesting. The woods in Maine are one of my favorite places in nature.

http://jandj-b-wildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-maine-moose-and-maine-scenery.html

The final quote that I think stood out the absolute most was “after my morning of bird watching, I spent the rest of the day poking around the back roads and through quiet hallows, so that by late afternoon, as a result of serendipity rather than planning, I found myself in the mountains south of Blairsville, heading for Brasstown bald, at roughly forty-eight hundred feet the highest point in Georgia.” (Weidensaul). This stood out to me the most because Blairsville is where I stayed my first time in Georgia. This was one of my favorite trips with my family, like the author said he did in the quote we did a lot of bird watching, along with puttering the back roads of the area. The amount of different birds we saw in Georgia was magical and on the drive back home we slowly saw the different birds dwindle back to the species we were used to.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g34775-d1897344-Reviews-Copperhead_Lodge-Blairsville_Georgia.html


Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 3

The first quote that stood out to me was “The river, famous among kayakers and rafters, looked untouched-a white-water delight ripped to porcelain foam by the rapids and lined with tall tulip trees and maples.” (Weidensaul). This quote hit me in the heart when I read it because the author was talking about the Nantahala River and that is where I went White-water rafting for the first time with my family. That day was one of the most magical days of my life. The water was so crisp and clear; I was mesmerized by it. The white foam was my favorite part, hearing the sizzling sound as it settled back into the clear water. The nature around us was also remarkable, something you can only see in that area. I completely agree with the authors description in the sentence I quoted from the book.

http://pinterest.com/pin/422845852485348276

The second quote that stood out to me was “Like the red-cheeked salamander, it is restricted to this small corner of the Appalachians.” (Weidensaul). This sentence stood out to me just like any sentence that has to do with animals does for me, but more so than usual because salamanders hold a special place in my heart because when my sister moved out she let me get a salamander as a pet to keep at her house and I fell in love with the creature deeply. Though this was not the same type that the author speaks about in the book, I fully understand his excitement and fascination with salamanders. The most interesting thing I find is the uniqueness each different salamander has due to change in location on the planet.

http://www.californiaherps.com/noncal/misc/miscsalamanders/pages/p.jordani.html

The quote that really hit home for me in this chapter was “Gray squirrels, which have strong jaws and teeth, reduce a hickory shell to pieces, leaving edges scalloped with tooth marks.” (Weidensaul). The reason this one hit so close to home for me is because my sister and I rehab injured and abandoned baby squirrels with a local Florida wild life group. The way the author describes the way the shells look is so incredibly accurate. Although, we don’t get to see our squirrels shell nuts until they have had fur for a while it reminds me of such an amazing and unique talent they have.  One of the most incredible things to witness and think about is how all squirrels are wired to know how to eat and shell a substance as hard as a nut in a shell.

http://www.furrytalk.com/2010/10/15-adorable-baby-squirrels-cute-pictures/


Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 4

The first quote from chapter 4 in the book Mountains of the Heart by Scott Weidensaul is “Watching, I tried to find the correct analogy for the shapes the spring created.”. I really felt connected to the book when the author wrote about the bubbling spring because one of my favorite places to go is a spring in Crystal River Florida. I agree with everything he says in this section about the spring, the way he talks about watching the sand that bubbles up from the spring and not knowing how to accurately describe the shapes it makes. I can stare at the bottom of the springs forever and just be mesmerized by the dancing sand above.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_sisters_springs_near_crystal_river_national_wildlife_refuge.jpg

The second quote that stood out to me was “We like the certainty of starting points and ending points, serving as bookends that bracket everything we touch, perhaps because our own lives are bracketed.” (Weidensaul). I completely disagree with this statement; I personally do not like to think about or look at the ending points in anything in life. When I look at a river I like to see the never ending flow and circulation it truly has. I feel that life has no defined brackets because life us uncertain just like it is uncertain where exactly one water molecule at the beginning of a river is going to end up, and at that the water molecule will never truly end permanently.

The third quote that stood out to me was “Spring peepers are the loudest of the seasons heralds (on a still night from my front porch I can hear the clamor from a pond nearly a mile and a half down the valley), but they are not the only singers, nor even the earliest.” (Weidensaul). This statement speaks to me because one of my favorite things to do at night is to sit outside and listen to all the different creatures. I can distinguish different sounds if I pay close attention but nothing is better than relaxing and listening to the harmony that happens when all of them combine into one beautiful song. I think that frogs like the spring peepers described in the book are one of the most unique creatures. It amazes me that some of the smallest creatures can make such a loud noise and that there are creatures that can make even louder noises.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Tree_Frog_(Litoria_caerulea).jpg

Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 1

The first quote that stood out to me in Mountains of the Heart by Scott Weidensaul was “Rocks are fundamental to the Appalachians, but unless you are a geologist or a weekend rock hound, you’re unlikely to spend much time thinking about them.”  This statement, in the book, stood out because here in Florida there’s grass, sand, and shell. We don’t have mountains with rocky cliffs, which also means we don’t have granite. I grew up in Massachusetts and we went camping all the time up in the White Mountains in a little town called North Conway, New Hampshire. We would stay along one of the best rivers the mountain had. The rivers there are nothing like Florida’s rivers.  There was much coarser sand and no shells on the edges of the river or under the water. It was all stones, stones of all different sizes. Some were so big we couldn’t lift them and others were perfect for skipping across the crystal clear water. The one thing they all had in common was there smooth surface and the layers you could see in them. This quote really invoked a personal response for me, the rocks are so different from Florida’s sharp shells.

The second quote that stood out to me has less of an emotional/personal effect and more of WOW factor to me.  “The rock underlying the pool-and the waterfall-is actually younger by 500 million years than the Gneiss above it.” (Weidensaul). This statement stood out to me because rarely do people really think about how old the earth is and I think it is truly amazing. To think about how long it took for the stone we have in our kitchens to form is also astonishing. Although it says that the rock under the pool is 500 million years younger than the gneiss, it is still amazingly old. To say that something is much younger but it is still a half of a billion years old it just mind blowing to me.

The third quote is more of a science related quote to me. “The story of the ice ages is the story of cycles within cycles.” (Weidensaul). This is a very interesting statement because it makes you think about how dynamic the earth really is. There are cycles that we don’t even think about that take place.

https://utahtransplant.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/trip-notes-part-3-northern-leg/

Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Chapter 11 : Ultima Thule

This chapter was all about the highest point of the Appalachian Mountains, specifically belle Isle which is near Labrador and newfoundland. The weather is rough with a frost not being unexpected at any point throughout the year.

http://www.aeno-items.nl/i/1fb645f289

There are three quotes throughout the chapter that really stood out to me. The first one was astonishing because the author had just finished talking about how there was near no information to be found when researching Belle Isle and now this quote pops up “One fellow mentioned a cave in the sea cliffs that the French fishermen, who had exclusive rights to the west coast of Newfoundland until the late 1800s, used as a morgue.”. This sentence amazed me not only for the statement that fishermen used a cave as a morgue but because the area and its inhabitants has been known about for such a long time that it amazes me that there was so little information on the area.

http://pinterest.com/pin/77898268526216861/

The second one was on page 266 when the author was talking about the few plants that do grow and how they all have a short amount of time to do so. “consequently spring, summer and fall crunch together like cars in a freeway pileup, and the resulting bloom is explosive and spectacular.”. this quote stood out to me because here in Florida plants grow all year round and that region they have one of the shortest growing seasons I have heard of which is June to September according to the author Scott Weidensaul. Due to the stunted season that plants have to grow everything blooms at the same time even if they were meant for different seasons. Fire weed and lilac for example: Fireweed is an Autumn flower and lilac is a spring flower. Yet both of these plants are blooming within feet and inches of each other. It’s amazing to think about how much adaptation it takes for a plant to be able to do that.

http://animaltheory.blogspot.com/2011/03/polar-bear.html

The third quote stood out to me because I did not know that poplar bears traveled down to Newfoundland and Belle Isle. “Polar bears are the supreme hunters of the Arctic ice pack, each winter a few follow the freezing ocean south to Belle Isle and Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula, hunting seals.”. although the it says that there are few that still travel that way the author tells us later that John Cabot states that the area was “crowded with white bears” in 1497. This was all very interesting to me because I have done some research on Labrador and Newfoundland due to my love of the breeds of dogs that have originated there. I also have done a lot of research of polar bears because I have a great love for them.

Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Triple Bottom Line

The Triple Bottom Line is a interesting concept to me which I have never heard of before. John Elkington had a desire in the 1900s to measure sustainability and his system was named the Triple Bottom Line. Since this system was created, organizations of all kinds have implemented the TBL. including but not limited to organizations in: arts, education, manufacturing, government, law firms, farming and agriculture. It is amazing to me how one system can be applied to so many different organizations to help improve sustainability.

When talking about how businesses use the TBL, a quote that really stood out to me was " reducing waste from packaging can also reduce costs" (Timothy F. Slaper, 2011). This quote stood out to me because it was a really good example of how businesses or large manufactures can actually benefit from caring about the environment.

http://greendeal.ca/manufacturers-work-to-reduce-packaging-on-the-shelf-and-behind-the-scenes

To me eating healthy and organic is very important so the quote "raising public awareness of the value of organic and biodynamic farming" stood out for me. I also like that in this section it is showing examples of how TBL  can be applied to any organization even education and arts.
In the section that talks about governments and states using TBL I found a quote that says "Policy-makers use these sustainability assessment frameworks to decide which actions they should or should not take to make society more sustainable" (Timothy F. Slaper, 2011).  States like Maryland and Vermont are already implementing the use of TBL.  I think we can learn from these states and broaden the use across the United Sates.

http://www.trendbusinessideas.com/organic-food-trends/

Cleveland, Ohio has been taking the initiative to really use the TBL. The mayor that put the 10 year plan into effect focuses on four main areas to make sustainable. I feel like this is a great way to implement sustainability because it breaks it down rather than just looking at everything as a whole. The quote below is an example of what stood out to me from this section.


"The city uses four key areas for measuring sustainability: the personal and social environment, the natural environment, the built environment (e.g., infrastructure and urban growth patterns) and the business environment" (Timothy F. Slaper, 2011).


http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/lgcolor/ohcolor.htm



Saper T. & Hall T. (2011). The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?  Indiana Business Review.