My name is Jessica C. I am in First Period APES and I am taking it because I thought it would be good to take AP. I like to do pretty much whatever, I am not picky ( :

JOURNAL

What does the word "sustainable society" mean to you? Do you believe that it is possible for the society you live in to become a sustainable society within the next 50 years?

-To me, a sustainable society is one that is able to support life for longer periods by using resources in a responaible way, that saves them for future generations. every society should think about the futuer and generations to come, and take into consideration what the generations to come might need. It's possible to become more sustainable by practicing conservation. Our generation needs to conserve natural resources by using less and considering what others have to have in order to live. It would be difficult for our generation to become more resourceful because we have gotten used to taking whatever it is that we need, and we have become selfish with unreplenishable resources. 

In what ways do humans occupy generalist niches and in what ways do they occupy specialist niches? Do you think humans should become more dependent on a greater variety of foods and energy resources to promote long term survival and sustainability? Explain and discuss the short and long term economic and political consequences of such a shift.

-Humans occupy generalist niches in many ways. they  are able to live pretty much anywhere in the world and are able to eat pretty much anything, even though some of them won't because they're picky. They also occupy specialist niches because even though they can live anywhere they still depend on houses and clothes to keep them warm, and some sort of transportation to get around from place to place. I think that humans should become more dependent on a greater variety of foods and energy resources because even though many humans are able to eat and drink many things, there are certain ones that must have things a certain way to be happy, they can't just take what they need to survive. This could be both positive and negative for the economy because many places would lose business if people decided to buy less, which could cause a crash in our economy, but it could also boost the economy if people decided to spend smarter on goods that they needed instead of unnecessary wants.    

Chapter 7:  You are a defense attorney arguing in court for sparing an underdeveloped old growth tropical rainforest and a coral reef from sever degradation or destruction by development.  Write your closing statement for the defense of EACH of these ecosystems.  If the judge decides you can save only one of the ecosystems, which one would you choose and why?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ­It is important to save these ecosystems because they are both essential to their specific biomes. Life depends on the ability to sustain these environments rather than destroying them. If I had to save just one ecosystem it would have to be the tropical rainforest because the rainforest is home to the most diverse forms of life that the earth hosts.

Chapter 12:  Congratulations – you have just been put in charge of the world.  Explain the 5 most important features of your population policy.

1. Allowing two children max, unless there is a special situation- population has to be controlled in order to improve sustainability.

2. Encourage family planning- education about children and responsibility may discourage large families.

3. Awards for those who follow the law- everyone likes to be rewarded for good work

4. Allow women to play a larger role in society- women need to know that they are needed for more than having and raising children

5. Free healthcare- when people have healthier families, they live longer which will decrease the need for larger families

Chapter 17:  Congratulation!  You are in charge of reducing air pollution in your country.  List the 3 most important features of your policy.

1. Every family must have at least one hybrid car.

2. Businesses must reduce air pollution by 1/5

3. Certain companies will have specified days that they can run their trucks

Chapter 13:  Some people argue that starving people could get enough food by eating non conventional plants and insects; other point out that most starving people do not know what plants and animals are safe to each and cannot take a chance on experimenting when even the slightest illness could kill them.  If you had no money to grow or buy food, would you collect and eat protein-rich grasshoppers, moths, or other insects?

If I had no money to grow or buy food, I would eat some unconventional things, as long as I had an idea about their toxicity. I think that in that situation it is important to do whatever it takes to survive, so I would be willing to try new things if I had no other option. However, there would be some  things that I would not eat including poisonous bugs and spiders. I think the world would be a better society if people were more willing to step outside of what is “normal” and try new things.

Chapter 21:  Explain why you support or oppose requiring that:

 a. all beverage containers be reusable

b. all household and businesses sort recyclable materials into separate containers for curbside pick-up

c. garbage collecting systems implement the pay-as-you-trash approach

d. consumers pay for plastic or paper bags to encourage the use of reusable shopping bags

a. oppose- sometimes its more convenient to be able to use reusable beverage containers, but I think it should be required that if they’re not reusable then they should have to be recyclable. 

b. support- it shouldn’t be difficult for everyone to do their part and help save the environment. Large businesses could hire teams to take care of this and other environmental issues.

c. oppose- larger families that would probably have less money are going to have more trash and that’s just an unnecessary expense that families don’t need.

d. support- plastic bags are going to be in the landfill forever, so a few dollars for reusable bags would end up being cheaper for families than paying for bags and it would also be much better for the environment