Interdependence

In week 5 Sustainable development we looked at Interdependence, the way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy. There are 3 components of Interdependence: economic social, environmental. All components are as important as each other.

We looked at two different farms to explore interdependence. Environmental interdependence in farming is extremely important as farmers have to be aware of the implications that be caused not only locally, but globally. Farmers should keep farming as sustainable as possible and be aware that slight changes in farming may result in consequences globally.

We had the opportunity to visit Strandhead and Mossigel Farm where methods  were different. Strandhead is a technological farm and Mossgiel is an organic farm therefore it was very interesting to compare the two.

I first visited Strandhead which is a farm that is very reliant on the latest technology to feed and milk their cattle.

Strandhead farm.

It has been said that Strandhead is one of the most technologically advanced farms in Scotland. Strandhead breeds Holstein cows (the average black and white cow you would see in Scotland) where they are free to be milked, feed and rest as they please.

Holstein cows at Strandhead farm

The cows stay inside at all times which is not a typical method  of farming but farmers of Strandhead assured that the cows were happy because they were less stressed and enjoyed the temperature inside which remains constant all year. The calves are seperated from their mums at 8 weeks and are fed powdered milk.

Overall, I believe that Strandhead is a very advanced and can imagine this being the future farm of Scotland. The process is a much quicker and efficient way of farming. It was different that the cows did not go outside but I think that if the cattle are happy and healthy then there is nothing wrong with this method. One criticism I would have is that the calves are fed powdered milk rather than their mothers milk which may not give the calves as many nutrients.

Mossgiel is a farm that has recently become an organic farm due to economic issues of the price of milk decreasing drastically. The farm has now changed their methods in which they sell most of their milk to high end coffee shops situated in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Mossgiel farm breed Ayrshire cows (native to Ayrshire) which have a higher fat content in the milk they produce.

Ayrshire calf at Mossgiel farm

They keep all the fat in their milk unlike most manufacturers which separate the fat from the milk to make other products. This results in a creamier milk which high end coffee shops look for a better and creamier taste. It was interesting to find out that the calves drink their mothers milk throughout which was different to Strandhead farm.

Overall, I thought that Mossgiel was a farm with many fantastic ideas to keep their farm sustainable. I am aware that this farm is unlike most farms and would be unrealistic for all farms to be organic in the future.

In conclusion, I believe that both farming methods were efficient and effective. Both farms paid close attention keeping animals happy as well as being sustainable as possible. In my opinion, I preferred the methods of Mossgiel farm because everything was organic and natural. On the other hand, I think that Strandhead was a very interesting farm which may represent the future farms of the world. As a society, we have to remember that our actions come from our ancestors in the past which have brought us to this time in history with some consequences. We also have to think about what happens in the future will be impacted upon by our actions now.

This is the pictochart that we created for the Interdependence topic on sustainable seas. Please click on the link to view.

https://create.piktochart.com/output/25440578-sustainable-seas

Climate Change

Week 3- Politics, Weather and Global warming

Climate change is a subject that has become very important in recent years. A definition for climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns which has been happening particularly from mid-20th century onwards. An explanation for this is the increased levels of carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels. There may still be sceptics that believe climate change is natural, but many disagree with this.

Learning about climate change this week has opened my eyes to the destruction that we are causing to the planet. Desertification, rising sea-level and extreme weather conditions have almost become ‘the norm’ which I find frightening. I believe that as a society we must reduce the level of gases, especially carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere.

I was nervous about the Politics and Global Warming workshop because it is a subject I have always struggled with. To begin with, we were asked why politics might be an important factor in considering Climate Change. After discussing, we decided that it was because politicians have higher power than the average person. We can recycle as much as possible, but unless the rest of the world is doing the same it is highly likely that you are going to make a change. On the other hand, politicians can make change happen.

In groups, we were given the task of finding out what was important for our stakeholder in the issue of global warming (a fisherman living in Tuvalu), the actions we want the government to take and reasoning for this. Through research, we found that Tuvalu is an island in the South Pacific that seldom rises higher than 15 metres. Due to carbon dioxide emissions from the USA and China, the sea-level is rising which threatens the island becoming underwater. Most Tuvaluans are fishermen and refuse to leave the island because it is where their livelihood is. Actions that the government should take are to sign the Paris Agreement to ensure vulnerable countries like Tuvalu are protected against climate change. For me, this opened my eyes to the sheer destruction we are causing to the planet and people’s lives. Simply asking a person to move away from the island where they have always lived is completely unacceptable, therefore we should think before we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Weather and Global Warming workshop was very active and interesting. The workshop consisted of different work stations that are be intriguing ideas to teach in a primary school classroom. In one station, we created tornados by filling a glass jar with water, washing up liquid and food colouring. By swirling the glass vigorously we were able to do this. This would be a fun experiment for children that links science and social studies together and is also an easy task to set up. Another experiment we carried out was exploring hot and cold. We filled a tank with room temperature water and put pebbles in 2 plastic cups. After that, we filled one cup with cold water and blue dye and the other cup with warm water and red dye. We then immersed the 2 cups in the large tank and found that the red dye was on top of the blue dye which showed that heat rises.

    Red rising to the top and blue at the bottom.

Again, it was an easy task and very enjoyable. This workshop was incredibly helpful to me because I struggle with the Climate change topic and I now have a better understanding on how to teach the subject.

This week has been a valuable lesson for me because I have learned a lot about Climate Change that I didn’t know before. It has also given me insight into the danger that fossil fuels can cause. In the future, I intend to find ways of reducing carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere and help to make the planet a healthier and happier place.

Week 4- Climate Change

In recent years, climate change has become an important subject around the world. The change in the worlds climate has many consequences, such as desertification and sea level changes. There may still be some sceptics, but overall most people have accepted the climate change is not natural, but man-made.

The Climate change (Scotland) act 2009 aims to meet their final outcome in 2050 to make sure that net Scottish emissions should be at least 80% lower than the baseline of a particular gas. As well as the act, Scottish ministers should set annual targets in secondary legislation. An example of this being the carrier bag charges in 2014 in order to reduce use of carrier bags and litter in Scotland. This legislation has changed my bad habits as I was always guilty of wasting carrier bags and rarely recycling. Looking back, I can say that my recycling overall has improved greatly and I now encourage others to recycle as well. In the ‘One year on’ report that was released on 2015, it claimed that the new legislation had reduced carrier bag wastage by up to 80% (650 million carrier bags) in one year which has shown huge success for Scotland. I am proud to say that I have taken part in this legislation and believe it is a start to improved recycling in Scotland. I also believe that the Climate change act will influence me in improving the planet in the future.

When completing the WWF Carbon footprint finder I was appalled to find out that my carbon footprint was a staggering 105%, higher than the 2020 target set by UK Government. I was also shocked that my total annual carbon emissions came to 10.9 tonnes per year!

My highest contribution to the carbon footprint was food at 32%. I believe this is due to having a lot of meat in my diet and also that I rarely buy seasonal and local produce.

I was very shocked to find out that travel was the second largest contribution to my carbon footprint at 31%. I mostly take public transport but never took into consideration the impact of travelling abroad for holidays in the past year. It has allowed me to think if it is necessary to travel long distances abroad every year.

The WWF footprint finder not only helped me to understand my carbon footprint, but also gave me advice on how to reduce my carbon footprint. Due to living in the western world where meat and dairy products are high, I have slipped into the way of eating these things in high quantities. Not only is it unhealthy for my body, but also for the environment. Farming meat and dairy products takes up a lot of our land which is one of the biggest causes of deforestation. I have realised that a few simple changes in my diet can help reduce deforestation, such as eating meat once a day and eating more vegetables as they produce less Carbon dioxide emissions than meat products. I would urge the Western world to think about their diatery habits and find ways to reduce their meat and dairy intake. Another way to reduce my carbon footprint is to buy seasonal produce. Not only is it tastier, but healthier because it is probable that the produce has not been grown intensively. I will consider buying more local and seasonal produce in the future and also support schemes such as Fairtrade.

In conclusion, climate change is an issue that has to become an important subject in everyone’s lives. As a society, we have to change our bad habits to reduce our carbon footprint and meet the Climate Change (Scotland) act 2050 outcome in order to improve the planet.  In the future, I intend to find ways of minimising my carbon footprint and take on board the ideas that the WWF website has given me.