Love Canal, Eric Fletch Perry

I asked people to read the Love Canal article as well as an article about the oil spill near New Zealand in 2011.  Here's a link to the article:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/09/new-zealand-oil-spill-rena and here are 10 comments from people that read both articles. 

Question:  Environmental tragedies still exist today; what can we do today to mitigate these problems? 

1. 
“For the hazardous waste in a residential area problem, I think that municipal governments need to take more responsibility regarding where they let zoning change from industrial to residential. I worked for an environmental engineering firm in SLC. A development company approached our company asking for an environmental assessment of the Geneva Steel site. (The development companies are required to submit such reports to municipalities when requesting zoning changes.) Our company went out to the site to take the necessary soil and groundwater samples. The site failed to meet the neccessary requirements to become residential. So the development company hired a diffrent engineering firm that would "pass" them on the site. In situations like this, where the municipalities have set rules to hopefully not get in the Love Canal situation, loop holes are often found. This is where common sense by residents should come into play. Don't live on a previous landfill!”
2.

”The New Zealand oil spill is a tragedy in the sense that it seems to have been an accident. Stricter shipping controls and civil liability for accidents can go a long way toward properly incentivizing companies to avoid such accidents. What happened at Love Canal is more properly described as criminal. No stone should be left unturned to prosecute people responsible and make them examples. Saving money by dumping chemicals at the risk of significant harm to humans should never be excused or ignored.”

3.

“While I still do not fully understand the purpose of animals, I know that I felt sad when the poor ducks were covered with oil in the "Saved by the Bell" episode about the oil spill at Bayside High (was it Bayside?). I think it's easy to care about hazardous situations when they directly affect our immediate environs, but I think part of being a responsible citizen of the world is being willing to fight for the ducks outside your own pond, so to speak.”

4.

“What is shocking to me is that I've never even heard of Love Canal. Was it on every single mortgage disclosure? Why would anyone build houses on a toxic waste dump site? People have to care enough to spend a few extra dollars cleaning things up right the first time. I know in our town, a major hindrance to downtown development is that buildings in prime locations are left vacant, not because people don't want to start businesses in them, but because they don't want to spend the exorbitant amount of money to clean up waste left by prior occupants. And the city simply can't afford to. Or maybe it can't afford not to. I think the best way to combat the problem of not doing things right, is the by educating young people who are at an age where doing the right thing is still more important than money.”

5.

"The environmental abuse is horrifying, even overwhelming. Hopefully such reminders will strengthen oversight and responsibility for each other and our planet."


6.
“If this place was a chemical landfill, then use it for what it was, use it for industrial purposes. Don't endanger children on something you know is a potentially dangerous site to live. 

If all these crashes are happening, then stop sending this oil by boat, send it by plane or some other form of transportation.” 
7.
“With regards to the Love Canal, proper zoning would have ensured that people were not harmed. However, communication probably played a big role in the issue. It appeared, from the article, that the residents knew they were living on a landfill, but I wonder if they were made fully aware of the possible outcomes of living there. In cases like this, there should be very specific clauses in housing contracts that warn prospective residents of the dangers.

With regards to the oil spill, I am not sure what exactly caused the crash, so it is hard to say what could help mitigate the situation. In any case, accidents happen and will always happen. I guess the crew members could have been more careful and alert while sailing, but the accident could have been due to a malfunction on the ship as well.” 
8.

“I think accountability is important in both situations and is something that is increasing with the recent growth in environmental interest. Oil spills are unfortunate, but there's not always much that can be done. Liability/accountability would create an incentive for oil transporters to be extra careful in the building, maintenance and operation of the equipment they use. I also believe we have come a long way as far as waste disposal goes since the Love Canal tragedy. Companies need to be accountable and liable for their actions, but they should first be educated in proper practices.”

9.
“What can we do to lessen these problems? First we need to be aware that there are problems. I'm all about starting small...like looking in your own community and seeing what you as an individual can DO instead of something as huge as an oil spill in New Zealand...you know what I mean? Anyways. Look at yourself, at your community, research, and then do something about it I guess. :)”  
10.

I feel the biggest problem in both situations is a lack of funding on prevention. If somebody checked the boats, paid time to maintain upkeep, then the oil spill could have been prevented.
Same with the Love canal. If the government had more investment in inspection, maintaining and treating chemical wasted lands, this would not have been an issue.
Prevention starts with small things, such as checking valves on oil lines. Otherwise they become million dollar problems. Compensation should go to the families affected by both incidents.
It is appalling to see such events still occur today given our technology, media coverage, and education level. Perhaps we still need to improve on such areas.

My Responses:

Q1:  
Why should we care about something that happened over 30 years ago? 

A1:  I think it's important that we understand the history of our past  mistakes.  We simply can't make the Love Canal mistake again and by learning about this tragedy as well as some other disastrous errors, we can make preparations in order to prevent future catastrophes.  It's also important to realize that people today still have side effects from Love Canal as well other preventable environmental tragedies.  We can't let these people suffer in vain.

Q2:

Were you aware that environmental tragedies of this magnitude still exist today?

A2:  I was aware that environmental tragedies still do occur today.  I didn't know about love canal before this class, and so I was kind of shocked seeing how something that was easily preventable actually occurred.  You hear and know about oil spills, but some other older tragedies are a little less well-known.  

Q3:

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

A3:  I would say that those officials that work in public health fields and are responsible should be the most concerned about environmental hazards every day.   Normal citizens, though, can still be conscious and informed about what they are doing to the environment.  Through little precautions by everyone, the environment really can be a lot better.