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So I've been taking this Environmental Science class, and it's not too bad. Talks a lot about biomes and the impact various organisms have on biomes. Nevada hosts 7 of the 12 largest recognized biomes, including the Sonoran and Great Basin deserts. We have over 300 endemic species, including the pupfish thingy. Some of our native tribes (the Northern & Southern Paiute & the Western Shoshone) speak 6 of the 7 Central Numic languages, but of those tribes, only the Western Shoshone is willing to continue fighting the NV State & federal governments for their homeland). It also talks globally about how populations tend to exert more pressure on their environment because of affluence and technology, moreso than actual people. America has only 5% of the world's human population, but we produce about 75% of all waste products.
I think about my hormones more now than I used to, and I've always thought about my hormones... not so much the timing of my periods or the possibility of pregnancy or even mood swings - the Pill is my savior, I have no PMS. But I think a lot about the environmental impact of my hormones. For the life of me, I cannot think of an environmentally safe way to dispose of personal hygiene items. If I flush them, those hormones enter the water chain. If I throw them away, they still enter the water chain through runoff and scavengers have access to them, thereby entering the food chain directly. Even composting puts those hormones back into the environment. If I use re-usable, washable pads, well... ya gotta wash 'em sometime, otherwise the potential there is too disgusting to think about. And I'm not the only woman who menstruates or uses hormonal birth control. We've got over 2.1 million people here in Las Vegas alone - a goodly portion of them female.
Is it any wonder that we have hermaphroditic carp & bluegill in Lake Mead?
The whole class so far has my mind wobbling. I knew people were bad for the environment, but... we are really bad for the environment. We are the most invasive 'weed' species on the planet. We're pioneers and opportunists, able to invade hostile environments with ease & push out native species without even flinching. Instead of shaping ourselves to fit into our environments, we shape the environments to fit our wants - not our needs, even - but our wants. An economist, Barbara Ward, said the greatest battle any environmentally-safe plan is to be economical & palatable to the masses. We want change to be easy and cheap, but the longer we keep pushing things, the worse it's going to get & the more costly it will become.
But still... the United States government has taken some drastic steps to become 'greener'. They recently removed the CFC's from the launching systems of their IBM's... so if we ever have a nuclear holocaust, it will be environmentally friendly.
I'm totally rambling right now because I took a glucose tolerance test about 2 hours ago & I still haven't come down. I've got a bad case of sugar-induced ADHD. I cheated on my last blood test & ate something, so my blood sugar was elevated... and because I didn't want to tell my doctor I 'cheated' I consented to a sugar test. I'm like, wtf, I'll get it over w/so she can't nag me. The nasty orange crap was not as bad as I remember it, but I haven't had as much as a Coke since the beginning of December when I started my diet. Even water tastes richer somehow. And because I didn't cheat this time around, I was fucking starving by 8am so that may have contributed to the overall flavor of the orange syrup. I've gotten used to eating smaller meals more often over the past few weeks - I'll have like, a tangerine or a low-carb granola bar around 1am, then my 'lunch' at 5am & then maybe a bowl of cereal (I've honestly got to say, I can't tell the difference between whole milk & 2% milk, so I've been buying the 2%. My cholesterol went off the hook when I tried switching from butter to margarine so that is not a lower-fat option), or some nuts & olives when I come home around 8am. So by the time real food headed my way around 10:30... well, I had bread (a Great Steak & Fry Company sammich) and french fries & a vitamin-enriched real-fruit smoothie at the mall. So much for the diet today, I wanted carbohydrates... mmmm, carbohydrates. I also wanted some slow-release sugar to counteract the inevitable crash that was going to happen once I burned off the high-fructose corn syrup orange-ade.
I scheduled my vacation this morning before I left work, & am now just waiting on my FMLA paperwork, which should be here by Friday or Monday. Even if they deny my vacation, I'm still hoping the FMLA goes through. And the insurance approval, of course :P
I think about my hormones more now than I used to, and I've always thought about my hormones... not so much the timing of my periods or the possibility of pregnancy or even mood swings - the Pill is my savior, I have no PMS. But I think a lot about the environmental impact of my hormones. For the life of me, I cannot think of an environmentally safe way to dispose of personal hygiene items. If I flush them, those hormones enter the water chain. If I throw them away, they still enter the water chain through runoff and scavengers have access to them, thereby entering the food chain directly. Even composting puts those hormones back into the environment. If I use re-usable, washable pads, well... ya gotta wash 'em sometime, otherwise the potential there is too disgusting to think about. And I'm not the only woman who menstruates or uses hormonal birth control. We've got over 2.1 million people here in Las Vegas alone - a goodly portion of them female.
Is it any wonder that we have hermaphroditic carp & bluegill in Lake Mead?
The whole class so far has my mind wobbling. I knew people were bad for the environment, but... we are really bad for the environment. We are the most invasive 'weed' species on the planet. We're pioneers and opportunists, able to invade hostile environments with ease & push out native species without even flinching. Instead of shaping ourselves to fit into our environments, we shape the environments to fit our wants - not our needs, even - but our wants. An economist, Barbara Ward, said the greatest battle any environmentally-safe plan is to be economical & palatable to the masses. We want change to be easy and cheap, but the longer we keep pushing things, the worse it's going to get & the more costly it will become.
But still... the United States government has taken some drastic steps to become 'greener'. They recently removed the CFC's from the launching systems of their IBM's... so if we ever have a nuclear holocaust, it will be environmentally friendly.
I'm totally rambling right now because I took a glucose tolerance test about 2 hours ago & I still haven't come down. I've got a bad case of sugar-induced ADHD. I cheated on my last blood test & ate something, so my blood sugar was elevated... and because I didn't want to tell my doctor I 'cheated' I consented to a sugar test. I'm like, wtf, I'll get it over w/so she can't nag me. The nasty orange crap was not as bad as I remember it, but I haven't had as much as a Coke since the beginning of December when I started my diet. Even water tastes richer somehow. And because I didn't cheat this time around, I was fucking starving by 8am so that may have contributed to the overall flavor of the orange syrup. I've gotten used to eating smaller meals more often over the past few weeks - I'll have like, a tangerine or a low-carb granola bar around 1am, then my 'lunch' at 5am & then maybe a bowl of cereal (I've honestly got to say, I can't tell the difference between whole milk & 2% milk, so I've been buying the 2%. My cholesterol went off the hook when I tried switching from butter to margarine so that is not a lower-fat option), or some nuts & olives when I come home around 8am. So by the time real food headed my way around 10:30... well, I had bread (a Great Steak & Fry Company sammich) and french fries & a vitamin-enriched real-fruit smoothie at the mall. So much for the diet today, I wanted carbohydrates... mmmm, carbohydrates. I also wanted some slow-release sugar to counteract the inevitable crash that was going to happen once I burned off the high-fructose corn syrup orange-ade.
I scheduled my vacation this morning before I left work, & am now just waiting on my FMLA paperwork, which should be here by Friday or Monday. Even if they deny my vacation, I'm still hoping the FMLA goes through. And the insurance approval, of course :P
