The Beliefs and Values Contributing to My Environmental Ethic

At the center of many beliefs and values of environmental issues are the ethical and moral standards of how people contribute to their environment. We have to be responsible and committed to address environmental concerns. Environmental ethics challenges moral and ethical beliefs by questioning how human beings relate to other species on earth.

Environmental ethics is between human beings and the natural environment that help to guide our approach toward other living beings in nature. I am going to have to honestly say that I am not a religious or political type of person. I understand that some religions teach spiritual harmony with nature, where it is believed that God created all beings to work together. Politics play a role in that certain acts or laws must be passed by politicians to move forward with bettering the environment/community. Morally and ethically speaking, I do believe it is everyone's responsibility to care for life on earth. We are ultimately responsible for many of the attributions that change our environment and surroundings. The extinction of certain animals due to poachers; gas powered cars; pollution and taking land away from nature to build businesses or housing. All of these examples contribute to humans ruining the environment and cause changes that disturb natural ecosystems.

I believe that preserving the environment is essential to protect the human race and nature. This will not just help meet the needs of each person today but also for those who will come after us in the future. We have to consciously do the best we can to help and protect the natural environment that surrounds us. After taking the Ecological Footprint Quiz, I realized the measures that I already take and additional things that I can do to assist with the conservation of the environment. I am adamant about recycling plastics and paper separately. I do cut up the plastic rings from cans/bottles to avoid animals getting stuck in them. I do shut off heat/cool air when no one is home and I unplug appliances that are not used often to avoid drawing electricity. I do my best to help the environment, but a joint effort is needed from the world.

Think about the area where you live, or an area you visit, and the ecosystems in this area. Then describe how humans have modified one ecosystem in this area. Explain and give specific examples of how you think the modifications have affected the biological communities. And do you notice any consequences to human health or well-being from this modification? I live in Bayonne, New Jersey, which is very close to New York City. A couple of years ago my town received a wind turbine. It is the one of the first wind turbines to be installed in the Tri-State (NY-NJ-CT) metropolitan area. The turbine came on line in June 2012 and is used to power a sewage pumping station. The turbine produces approximately 3.3 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power 600 single-family homes for the year. (Journal, 2010) This project is supposed to save the city around $25,000 per month in energy costs. Since the installation of the wind turbine, it has needed to be repaired a couple of times which cost the city money to repair and loss of the energy cost savings. I think the potential for New Jersey overall to use this would be great in saving energy. There are always bumps in the road but overall it is good for the community.

Wind power in New Jersey is not just in Bayonne but in Atlantic City as well. The Jersey Atlantic Wind Farm is the first coastal wind farm in the United States. These turbines are projected to use natural energy rather that the burning of fossil fuels. They are not in full use yet but are projected to be in next coming years. The governor wants to have NJ producing 3,500 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind farms by 2030. (Warren, 2018) I believe moving forward with the use of these turbines can help with the climate changes and emission of pollution. There have not been any consequences to human health to my knowledge.

New Jersey also has the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006, which prohibits smoking in all enclosed indoor places of public access and workplaces. This recently has been updated to include all public beaches and state parks. This demonstrates a promise to protect the environment and public health. Not to mention conserve the quality of public areas and keep it clean. The group Clean Ocean Action reports in 2017 beach sweep, over 29,000 cigarette butts were picked up accounting for 7.76% of waste items. And all smoking related products, including things like packaging and lighters, which accounted for more than 10% of the waste removed (Leavy, 2018). There have definitely been better consequences for human health and the habitants of the beaches and oceans with this upgrade added to the existing law. Not only has it reduced second hand smoke from harmful chemicals inside public places but now the beaches and oceans will be less polluted.