Semester Project: Human Footprint

Not enough people understand the damage we cause to the earth, and even when they do they don’t know what to do about it. Oil pollution is one way we directly harm the earth and it goes beyond using gasoline. There is oil in so many items that we don’t need in our lives, but we want to use because we are so used to these products that we believe we cannot live without it. An example would be plastic or hair-dye. My semester project has to do with the fight against oil pollution and how by changing little things that we do in life we can at the very least not cause more damage to the environment.

My Project:

I created a website that has to do with how we as individuals contribute to oil pollution; I called it “Human Footprint”. In this website, I included artists who address the issue of human involvement on the earth and how what we do to the earth also affects us as a society. There is also a gallery page that illustrates my artists and some anonymous artwork that challenges the opinions of society and how they see oil pollution and oil waste. There is a page dedicated to lifestyle tips that people can use that won’t cause them to suffer such a great loss, but more like minimize their intake of certain items. There is also a page for recent new that deals with important oil pollution issues like the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010. I also included along with the recent news a section where I post my opinion on these issues and why they must be fought against. The last part of my website, to me, is the most important part, and which inspired me to create it is a webpage that shows what animals and habitats are affected by oil pollution and what happens to them after being exposed to this toxin.

Social Issue:

The social issue that I address in my project is how people take advantage of the earth and the natural resources that the earth provides. The Gulf Cost Oil Spill is an example, it caused so much damage to the environment and harm to the animals and the environment, while many tried to clean up the damage it never completely was. This is the major issue because once we do something that can damage the earth and even kill off different species it can never be fully fixed. This is similar to the quote from Ways of Seeing, “the publicity image steals her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her for the price of the product” (134). Media can never fully give a woman the love that they took from her, like people can never fully clean up the mess they create. This is one of the main idea’s that was incorporated in the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest. The Native Americans knew that if the pipeline was created the possibility of a leak could cost such a tremendous effect on the earth. They believed that this pipeline was unnecessary and all that it would do was benefit the big oil corporations and no one else. Which is the main aspect of the social issue; people don’t need to harm the earth, they don’t need to cause waste and release toxins into the earth, they want to because they only care about what benefits themselves.

Citations:

“10 Simple Ways to Use Less Oil.” Greenpeace International, 6 July 2010, www.greenpeace.org/archive-international/en/campaigns/climate-change/10-simple-ways-to-use-less-oil/blog/12883/.

https://www.greenpeace.org/archive-international/en/campaigns/climate-change/10-simple-ways-to-use-less-oil/blog/12883/

“A DEADLY TOLL: THE GULF OIL SPILL AND THE UNFOLDING WILDLIFE DISASTER.” A Deadly Toll, Center for Biological Diversity, Apr. 2011,

www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/a_deadly_toll.html.

Heron, S.F. “How Does an Oil Spill Affect The Environment?” Sciencing, 24 Apr. 2017, sciencing.com/oil-spill-affect-environment-4616883.html.

https://sciencing.com/oil-spill-affect-environment-4616883.html

“How Oil Harms Animals and Plants in Marine Environments.” Office of Response and Restoration, response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-harms-animals-and-plants-marine-environments.html.

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-harms-animals-and-plants-marine-environments.html

Megan. “20 Ways to Reduce Your Dependence on Oil | Care2 Healthy Living.” Healthy Living, 31 Jan. 2010, www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-reduce-your-dependence-on-oil.html.

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-reduce-your-dependence-on-oil.html

“Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and Federal Facilities.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 29 Jan. 2018, www.epa.gov/enforcement/oil-pollution-act-opa-and-federal-facilities#Federal%20Facility%20Responsibilities%20Under%20the%20Oil%20Pollution%20Prevention%20Program.

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/oil-pollution-act-opa-and-federal-facilities

“What Is Oil Used For?” ConocoPhillips, alaska.conocophillips.com/what-we-do/oil-production/what-is-oil-used-for/.

http://alaska.conocophillips.com/what-we-do/oil-production/what-is-oil-used-for/

“11 Facts About the BP Oil Spill.” DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change, www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-bp-oil-spill. 

Chow, Lorraine. “No Plan? Oil Spill in Great Australian Bight Could Be Twice as Bad as Deepwater Horizon.” EcoWatch, EcoWatch, 15 Nov. 2018, www.ecowatch.com/australian-bight-oil-spill-equinor-2619696092.html. 

Dayman, Isabel. “Australia's Oil Supply Plummets, with More Drilling Likely in the Bight, Minister Warns.” ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 15 May 2018, www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-15/australias-oil-supply-plummets-with-drilling-likely-in-bight/9763932. 

Grossman, David. “The Risk of the Dakota Pipeline Is a Leak Just Too Small to For Tech to Notice.” Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 13 Mar. 2018, www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a19419426/standing-rock-dakota-pipeline-leak-detection-tech/. 

Mathiesen, Karl. “BP Plan to Drill in Great Australian Bight Risked 750km Oil Spill, Documents Show.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/06/bp-plan-to-drill-in-great-australian-bight-risked-750km-oil-spill-documents-show. 

Milman, Oliver. “Deepwater Horizon Disaster Altered Building Blocks of Ocean Life.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 June 2018, www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/28/bp-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-report. 

Pallardy, Richard. “Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill-of-2010. 

Schumpeter. “Cleaning up the Legal Spill.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 15 Nov. 2012, www.economist.com/schumpeter/2012/11/15/cleaning-up-the-legal-spill. 

Steiner, Rick. “Drilling in the Great Australian Bight Is Not Worth the Risk | Rick Steiner.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Nov. 2018, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/24/drilling-in-the-great-australian-bight-is-not-worth-the-risk. 

Wehelie, Benazir. “Sacred Ground: Inside the Dakota Pipeline Protests.” CNN, Cable News Network, www.cnn.com/interactive/2016/12/us/dapl-protests-cnnphotos/.

HUMAN FOOTPRINT: MAKE A CHANGE
https://karlamariex2017.wixsite.com/mysite-1