Useless Junk

Mrs. DeLuca has a problem... She loves office supplies!!  Can't go into a Staples or an Office Max without buying something, hands down her favorite store!!  But think about it, all the wasted energy that went into making those things, many of which will probably never be used... Just to sit in a desk.  So much wasted energy!!  The factory where these office supplies were made was running on energy.  The workers who were making the supplies used energy to get to work, the energy used in the manufacturing process, the energy used to ship these things (doubt they were made in the US) across the world, the energy used in the store where people go to buy them. The energy wasted on the drive home... and the energy wasted as this useless thing sits in a drawer...

Answer one or more of the following questions in a thoughtful post (3-5 sentences)
-What is your useless junk?  Is there something you have a collection of that is wasteful? Could you ever cut back on it?
-If we all stopped buying useless junk, what positive things would happen?  Negative?
-Why do we has humans love "stuff"?  Are we programmed that way?
-Do you honestly think the knowledge of useless junk will make you think twice about buying things in the future?
-Useless junk wastes energy, what other problems does it cause?

Human Population -- Overpopulated or Overblown?

Human Population -- Overpopulated or Overblown?

Image Source:  http://envirosci.net/111/population/the_human_population.htm 

In class we have learned a lot about populations and how they interact.  We recently started looking at human population and how it is growing.  Incorporating facts from the resources you found in class, please answer one or more of the following question(s) in about one paragraph..
1) Have we reached Earth's Carrying Capacity?  If yes, did we overshoot it?  If no, what is it?
2) Is our current human population an issue, why or why not?
3) What could be done to help control the human population, do you think these things are ethical?
4) What are some other countries doing to help curb the human population "problem?"
5)

The Endangered Species Act  -- Worthwhile Law or Waste of Time?

The Endangered Mountain Gorilla
Image Source:  http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_gorilla.htm

In class, you read about ONE side of the Endangered Species Act or ESA.  Then you got information about the other point of view.  You should now be armed with information supporting both sides of the argument.  The question is, where do you stand?  What do you think about the ESA?  Please answer one or more of the following in about a paragraph, and use SPECIFIC information from your reading, or your partners reading to support what you think.  You may also respond to other peoples comments in your post.
     1) Is the Endangered Species Act working?
     2) Is the Endangered Species Act fair to businesses and companies?
     3) If given the power, what changes would you make to the endangered species act?
     4) Any other thoughts about the act.