Love Canal- Julia Kelemen

My reactions:

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

It makes sense that things like this still happen today but it is shocking when you really think about it. I personally do not see things like it firsthand and I tend to forget they do happen and the large effect events like this can have. It is sad to think that we still haven't learned to be smarter about these kinds of situations. 

Environmental tragedies still exist today; what can we do today to mitigate these problems.

I think people just need to be more careful and make smarter decisions about what they do with waste and how they handle elements that are harmful for the environment. We need to learn from the past and think about the long term effects of different actions, consider how various things can affect the environment and what implications they could have on the communities’ health. I think the first step is to make people aware so they can be more careful.

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

Because things like this are still happening today and sometimes we just don’t know it. By looking at the Love Canal Tragedy it is proof that these tragedies can happen and it shows the large effect that  careless actions can lead to over time. The danger was created long before it was recognized and started affecting the people more and more as time past. We never know what environmental problems could come up now that are a result from something that happened a long time ago. On the other hand we may not realize the danger we could be leaving for the future.

Comments from others:

1. "It's kind of scary all the pollution and waste we create that people keep quiet about so often. And it's gross."- Krystina Lightheart

2. "That totally surprises me that stuff like this could happen anywhere with out people knowing about it. That's so incredibly sad. We're killing earth man!" -Alicia Waren

3. "This is really alarming, but I'm somehow not surprised that something like this happened. Many companies, such as this chemical company, just do what is best for them and don't think about the consequences for the surrounding communities." -Maddie Calder

4. "I have heard about this! I think it's funny how they named it the "love canal" yet so many people died from it." -Cindy Lopez

5. "It's sad that short term selfishness (and laziness) can lead to such long term consequences. I'm reminded of Utah Lake which, while not nearly as bad, faced similar problems years ago. Utah Lake is still recovering all these years later." -Gabe Adams

6. This is crazy!!"- Sara Matthews

7. "That is so nasty and sad that people would treat our world like that and not even care!" -Kendra Rife 

8. "I can't believe that I haven't heard of this, it's really appalling. It's rather shocking that stories like this exist and continue to exist and that the response is usually like the response that mother got -- there isn't an apparent problem."

9. "First off, the school should not be able to tell that mother that she cannot transfer her kid out of school. I'm also wondering if the government or state or anybody did anything to pay back those that suffered (such as the boy and all his illnesses and surgery). It seems like since the school knew about what was under there and the citizens did not (until the reporter did a little article), perhaps they should be liable or something. I don't know. That just seems really unfair and unethical. It also amazes me that they thought a layer of clay would cover all that junk up forever and it would not bother anyone. I forget how long ago this was, but still. Thanks for sharing this wonderful article out the the pure thoughtfulness of your heart. It has greatly enriched my mind and broadened my horizons. You are wonderful." -Mikelle Torgesen

10. "That is super sad and disappointing. Poor choices by select people effect many innocent people later on. People need to think before they act and imagine the long term consequences. At least one person had the sense of mind to step up and spread the word about the terrible problem." -Jeremy Eatough

11. "It's weird you don't hear about things such as bad as that. And ewww. It goes to show that one choice affects more than oneself." -Kate Kelemen

(The link to the article I posted along with the Love Canal video:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/03/26/report-gulf-oil-spill-killed-life-deep-beneath-sea-level )