tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4292653048436694466.post5115177903514667245..comments2023-10-18T06:04:16.416-04:00Comments on Soc 370 - Cental Michigan - S09: Foster 6 & 7Alan Rudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05814965319203398069noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4292653048436694466.post-44620506804834224672009-01-29T15:18:00.000-05:002009-01-29T15:18:00.000-05:00I think Foster's exploration into the nature of "s...I think Foster's exploration into the nature of "sustainability" is pretty important within this type of discourse. This term is used to excess when talking about environmental issues, yet its definition is seldom explicitly laid out. Foster does this, giving us three yes or no points of interest to gauge relative sustainability. <BR/><BR/>1. "The rate of utilization of renewable resources has to be kept down to the rate of their regeneration."<BR/>2. "The rate of utilization of nonrenewable resources cannot exceed the rate at which alternative sustainable resources are developed."<BR/>3. "Pollution and habitat destruction cannot exceed the "assimilative capacity of the environment.""<BR/><BR/>All of these points seem extremely basic. You could ask a child, "What happens if you eat the cookies faster than I give them to you?" The child would answer, "I don't have any more." Yet, here we are.Robert Holzhausenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09889682856215932038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4292653048436694466.post-37980373750778340562009-01-28T16:04:00.000-05:002009-01-28T16:04:00.000-05:00We as individuals are more inclined to think about...We as individuals are more inclined to think about the near future than life hundreds or thousands of years from now. We tend to focus on what we can do by recycling and buying fuel-efficient cars rather than changing the relations of production and society which seem impossible. <BR/><BR/>Of course it is people like us who have greater interest in the environment than do economists or politicians. But, what if we fused our interests together and developed an environmental industry that could one day expand so that the traditional pattern of capitalist development is no longer so counter-ecological? I know this sounds really far-fetched and easier said than done, but in my opinion the same goes for the socialization of nature and production that Foster see's as the only option.Jessica Eskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10811760975181740555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4292653048436694466.post-3575692957037622172009-01-28T11:33:00.000-05:002009-01-28T11:33:00.000-05:00In chapter 6 it becomes very obvious that Foster h...In chapter 6 it becomes very obvious that Foster has marxist beliefs. This goes right along with what Katie was saying. Once technology started bringing in money it became huge and this resulted in the workers becoming nothing more than "instruments" of production. This resulted in people becoming obsessed with making money(not that they weren't before). So it only makes sense that it costs money to take away the recycling. People do pay for this service after all so why give it away for free? I don't really agree with that logic but unfortunately that's how things work. <BR/><BR/>I completely agree with what Tearon is saying. Americans like things that are cheaper. To add on to that Americans pretty much like to do the least amount of work possible. Recycling takes up peoples time and it's so much easier to just throw things away. Sure we get money back from bottle returns in Michigan but some people just don't care about that ten cents they would rather just throw the bottle or can away.Alicia Kingmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00852017665430521877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4292653048436694466.post-54394726697839832702009-01-27T15:11:00.000-05:002009-01-27T15:11:00.000-05:00The problem, of course, with going green AND being...The problem, of course, with going green AND being economically advantageous is that dirty is cheaper. To my mind, that's the ecological trap of capitalism. This, of course, doesn't concern recycling, but it concerns just about any product that people want to be environmentally friendly. If companies CAN make a cheaper product, even at the expense of the environment, and sell it for less money, they will. And people will buy the more affordable product.Tearonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00799593772467066065noreply@blogger.com