The article in the news I found was called Sustainable Travel: It’s Not Just About the Environment. This article focuses on programs on tourism impacts that the community faces. The sustainable efforts looks at social and economic impacts as well. One way a sustainable effort is put into place is making sure the money that tourist bring into the community is kept in that community and used for the funds needed. The article says, “travel is the first or second source of export earnings in 20 of the 48 least developed countries, according to the W.T.O., yet a 2013 report from the organization noted that just $5 of every $100 spent in a developing country stayed in that destination.”  Money in tourism is a very important contributor. In March the Jordan Tourism Board created the Meaningful Travel Map of Jordan. This project helps put in place community projects. These community projects are improvement projects. This is why the money that is spent by tourist needs to stay within the community to keep it up in a sense. An example of these projects can be seen Africa. Education is very resourceful when it comes to sustainability.“There’s a lot of people who think ‘eco-tourism’ when they hear ‘sustainable tourism,’ but that’s a piece of the puzzle,” said Kelley Louise. As mentioned in the article, educating the tourist on spending their money locally, such as buying food at local restaurants or shops. This is causing positive impacts on the economy which is correlated with sustainable acts. “Every time you have a meal, get accommodations or do activities, you can have a positive impact just by traveling,” said Paula Vlamings. Small acts that are listed for sustainable efforts include booking hotels that have a connection with charities. This article discussed hotels that give a percentage of what you pay to charities. This really helps the sustainable economic efforts. This improves the connection between the tourist and the place they choose to visit. Looking out for the community as an outside, from what i’ve read in this article, is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy sustainable economy. Also, helping out in the community can bring forth positive change. “Only when you actually get your hands proverbially dirty by rolling up your sleeves and engaging in these projects and initiatives can you really learn and understand the issues and how we can make an impact, however small,” wrote Joss Kent. There is also a project mentioned in this article that allows native people of certain villages to get a chance for schooling. Each visitor pays for a certain schooling and the program sponsors a village citizen for school. This project is under the name village ways. It focuses on the life of the villagers in this large places people visit and tour. This helps the community and the economy. I feel this article is very interesting and informative. It is good to see efforts being made to watch out for the community where travelers go. The village is very important to maintaining the beautiful places people go to travel. Taking care of the people and the community is very important.

Alexis Waters-Peterson

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/travel/sustainable-travel.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSustainable%20Living&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection

My media analysis is on an advertisement video that focuses on the ways that plastics are entering our oceans. It was created and published by an organization called Greenpeace UK. The advertisement also makes a point to explain certain products that contribute to pollution in the oceans such as: microbeads in toothpaste, synthetic clothing fibers, wet wipes, and plastics bottles. I love how there are pictures included that show how plastics are impacting the ocean and animals as well. There is text throughout the duration of the video that describes the numerous ways that plastics are winding up in the ocean. The video includes text, instead of spoken words, so the information conveyed is completely dependent on the text provided on each slide of the advertisement video. I thought it was a great strategy for the advertisement to only use text. This makes the audience pay close attention to the video and the message being portrayed, that way we are able to understand what was being explained. When reading the text on each slide of the video, the attention of the audience can also be directed to the pictures displayed behind it, which are very detailed and clearly shows how plastics are impacting the ocean. The goal is to present a visual of the different ways plastic can end up in the oceans. The main value represented in the advertisement are to know and understand the details of how this problem is occurring and how we should take the initiative to prevent this from happening. I feel as if the video s based on how our everyday use of plastic and other things wind up in the ocean, causing negative impacts. Therefore, there should be something done about this issue, instead of sitting around and watching it happen. When it is evident that something in particular is causing negative affects to the environment, we should want to take charge and do what is in our power to fix it. In my opinion, I feel as if the advertisement is from a negative view point. The message conveyed in the video isn’t positive because it shows how we contribute to plastic pollution in the oceans, which has become a large problem. I think that if there were more pictures included in the advertisement of how the animal are impacted than it would be really affective. Although the video shows the various ways that plastic winds up in the ocean and how the oceans look due to pollution, I think that the audience will not be as motivated to help resolve this problem. However, adding those pictures of creatures and other things that are affected may add more emphasis to the seriousness of the issue. The advertisement was very educational and serves the purpose to inform those who watch the video. This video was very easy to understand, and the message was clear. The advertisement did its job of educating and informing the problems just by including pictures and a few words. I felt motivated by the end of watching it to go out and make a change!

The homework activity that was assigned towards the beginning of the semester really helped me understand how individuals, including myself, can sometimes be wasteful of our resources. The activity required the class to calculate our ecological footprint and reflect on it, which really opened my eyes as to how my daily and weekly habits can impact the world. When I calculated my footprint, I received a score of 4.3 global hectares, which was significantly different compared to the ecological footprint of 1.7 global hectares available per person. The activity displayed that if everyone were to live the same lifestyle as me, we would need approximately two and a half earths. After completing the activity and discovering how high my ecological footprint is compared to our current global hectares, I felt that it was very crucial to consider things that I could do differently in order to live a more sustainable life. I noticed that one problem that could be improved is the amount of trash/waste that I produce. It’s normal for my roommate and I to fill three trash cans that are about one foot each, every week. The trash that we create tend to be things that can be recycled such as plastic, cardboard, and paper. I still struggle with recycling since our garbage room in our dorms doesn’t have a recycling bin. Therefore, the things that can be recycled winds up in the trash bag with other wastes. However, recycling is easier when I am home because we have two separate garbage cans outside, one for waste and the other for recycling. I also produced a great deal of trash from going out to eat and bringing to-go boxes back into the room. Yet, I can say that I have improved in this area. I hardly eat out as much as I use to, and if I do I try to make a tendency to finish my food. I also reflected that I use way too much energy than what is necessary. I am not always mindful of how much energy/power I am using in school and also at home. My mom always tells me that I have every light on in the house! It is very common for me to turn on the lights when they are not needed. I also have a tendency to leave the television on, while I am not in the room. I really need to work monitoring the amount of energy that I use in my dorm room and while I am home from school. I plan to make a routine and write reminders in order to limit my usage. This way I am making myself aware of things that can be unplugged and turning off appliances that I am not using at the moment. I love the natural sunlight, so it motivates me to turn off the lights and let the sun shine in. This course makes me realize how my lifestyle can really impact the world! It inspires me to make changes in my life that will result in positive benefits.

A few weeks ago, trying to pass time, I found an interesting movie on Netflix. There had also been post on Facebook mentioning that it was a great movie to watch, so I decided to watch it. The name of the movie is What Happened to Monday written by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson and directed by Tommy Wirkola. The movie is a dystopian science fiction thriller, which depicts the issue of overpopulation that is occurring in some countries. The film begins in the year of 2043, a time where overpopulation has caused a crisis worldwide. In order to confront this issue, the Child Allocation Bureau, implemented a strict one-child policy! The film can be very gruesome because it depicts how the issue of overpopulation should not be addressed in a way. If multiple children are born to one mother, each child except for the oldest, are pried away from their mother and siblings. They are then kept in a holding room located in the Bureau’s facility, until they are put into a modified cryosleep and incinerated. I believe that the Bureau’s initiative to implement a one-child policy was acceptable, however how these children were taken and processed was not an appropriate way to deal with the issue. A set of identical septuplet sisters are born, however their mother died by giving birth leaving their grandfather to raise them. Their grandfather names them after the days of the week, and they only leave the house on the day of their name. Also, each sibling must comply with the one identity that they are given, Karen Settman. They all wear the same wigs, makeup, and clothing every day. In order for the siblings to keep up their one-person identity, they arrange group meetings every afternoon to share information from what occurred that day. Mysteriously, one day a sibling doesn’t return home, which is very unusual! The siblings become very worried that someone has finally figured out that there is more than one of them. They have to find out what happened to Monday, without being caught by the Bureau. Yet, the Bureau finally discovers that they all have been acting as the same individual. Therefore, they try to eliminate each one. While trying to find Monday, a number of events occur throughout the film leaving Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday dead. In my opinion, I found that this film was very interesting. Towards the end Thursday learns that Monday is the cause of all the commotion because she decided to work for the Bureau in order to live a better life. Monday also reveals that she is pregnant with twins, which was also another factor for turning against her siblings. It grabbed my attention in the beginning because it mentioned how over population was affecting the world. Since this topic was mentioned in class, I wanted to continue to watch to see how the authors would present the concept in the movie. However, I didn’t approve of the way that the film portrayed dealing with this issue. I felt as if there could’ve been another way, that wasn’t so gory, to solve the problem.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80146805

From the I= PAT equation, we have learned the technology advancements are necessary to leave our impact positively on earth. Technology can be a powerful tool to reduce ecological footprint. It can also increase the earth’s carrying capacity as many expert believe. I am not a technology person but recently I have been looking into technology to reduce my carbon as well as ecological footprint.  This course has changed my way of thinking. I now think about the sustainability.

Lately I have been thinking to buy a electric car.  These electric vehicles are quick and eco friendly and powered by batteries and it doesn’t emit carbon  into the atmosphere. Electric cars are making a big comeback into the car industry since the electric vehicle disaster when GM made a car called the EV 1 and  General Motor (GM)  eventually had the them back to be crushed and left dead. It is still controversial why the GM took that steps. But then an entrepreneur named Elon musk made a car called the Tesla Roadster and the electric car industry was back many other companies such as BMW, Mercedes joined and electric cars were again in the market. Good and long range electric cars are very expensive but by 2040 they are going to be as expensive as their counterpart internal combustion engine (IC).Now all types of electric vehicles are available in market, like sedan, SUV, and 18-wheeler. Almost all series of Tesla cars have auto-pilot options, which can run at road with minimal supervision. Those cars have very good safety features, because of cameras are installed for different views, based on surround object control unit can make a smart decision and drive the care safely. Electric cars are way different what the IC counterparts. All electric cars use almost the same technology, it has induction motor(s), control unit, cameras, charge port, and battery with different types and power holding capabilities. Every car company place those main components in different ways with different configurations.  The electric car will most likely succeed because of the positive impact and efficiency of an electric vehicle. But electric vehicles will not get away without some downsides for example, the making of the car and disposal of the vehicle will most likely cause at least some pollution and to add on where the electricity is coming from could be from a power plant that emits carbon emissions. With everything there is a field of improvement like safer batteries and the energy production. I have a strong feeling that electric car companies will very soon fix it’s problems and everyone could have one.

The former president Barack Obama has declared that by 2025 the cars will go 55 miles per gallon, which will make America to be self-dependent reducing the use of foreign oil. I think it will also boost our economy too. To know more Obama administration’s fuel efficiency standard, visit

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/28/obama-administration-finalizes-historic-545-mpg-fuel-efficiency-standard