Alexis Berry--Love Canal Report

Commnets: 

Please (choose 1 of the following) read the article/ watch the following movie clip. Were you aware that environmental tragedies of this magnitude still exist today?

“I think that things like this still happen today. There are regulations set in place, but many things still happen accidently. I think we are more conscious of what we do and how it effects the environment, but even then, there are probably still things that we don’t understand, and damage that we cause unknowingly.“

“I think the things that happen today are more accidental. I think that in general, companies today try to be more environmentally conscious and try to do the right thing.”

“I agree with the idea that many environmental tragedies are accidents, but I also believe that some companies try to slide under the radar. In general, I think that tragedies like this do occur, but they are mostly from accidental or illegal acts.”

“Actually I was aware of similar environmental tragedies like this still existing. It's very concerning to me because of what it does to our health. I feel that it is responsible for more cancers, sicknesses, allergies, unexplained diseases and including animals that die unexpectedly from environmental hazards that we are not aware of.”

“Wow. I was definitely not aware of this environmental tragedy. I appreciate Lois caring enough to so something to fight it, and I cannot believe the school that her child attended thought there was no problem. Just looking at that bed of tar and chemicals, they had to know something was wrong.”

“The way the chemicals were affecting the children and residents greatly sickened me. I am very glad that in the end everyone near the site was relocated. The falls is such a beautiful place, but it just shows that no matter how beautiful a place, there can always be something dangerous nearby. Something I never would've thought. Thank you for sharing.”

“I had no idea that things like this still happened. Even if it was before there were regulations, I didn't think that that kind of stuff still happened. I do not agree with how they chose to take care of all the contaminated soil but there aren't many options. I still think that there may be another leak from that same source one day.”

“I was definitely aware that tragedies of this sort still exist today. The BP oil spill is a perfect example of a recent environmental tragedy, as it has had numerous affects on much of the world’s population. The pollution from the spill has hurt animals and people alike. It sickens me to realize what the residents of Love Canal had to go through, but I am not surprised because back then, environmental regulations and the EPA did not exist.”

"How many other tragedies are there now which we don't hear about? Chemical waster, nuclear waster...where does it all go?"

 I feel that this is just further proof that we as citizens need to be actively involved in our community and aware of the concerns in our neighborhoods. It just took one small voice to make the issue open action. As my personal idol would say, "Lois, you're a great American."

My Reaction:

  

Why should we care about something that happened over 30 years ago?

We should care because events like this are still affecting us today, whether we realize it or not. Love Canal is only one of many toxic dumpsites. I’m sure that there are plenty of others that we don’t know about, and unless we take the time to figure out these potential threats, we will face many more toxic leaks and environmental hazards in the future. When Love Canal was sold to the city, I don’t think anyone understood the potential danger a leakage of chemicals could cause. Over the years, we have learned more and have tried to become more aware of how our actions can affect our future. I think that over time, we will discover more places like Love Canal, and as we do, it will only reiterate the fact that we need to be careful about how we affect the world around us.

In your opinion are environmental hazards something we should be concerned about on a daily basis

Environmental hazards are definitely something we should be concerned about on a daily basis. Such hazards affect our lives on all sorts of levels. Not only can things like chemical leaks and oil spills hurt our groundwater and food supply, but they can cause other health problems, such as birth defects, cancer, etc. Even if environmental hazards aren’t causing much harm NOW, they can become a huge problem in the future, and hurt our posterity.

Based on the impact environmental tragedies affect you/your family how likely are you to take action against disasters like this one?

I want to prevent these tragedies as much as possible. I cannot control how companies choose to act, but I can definitely speak up when I believe that there is a problem. I admire Lois for her courage in fighting a battle that had never before been fought. I will do the same to speak for the health of myself and my family when such tragedies do occur, and I won’t give up the battle until something is changed. 

Article link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/31/arkansas-oil-spill-2013-exxon_n_2986754.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false