Mini Project # 4: Grocery List

An article written by Deborah Whitman called, Genetically-Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?, explains that the term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well.
Some genetically-modified foods that are on sale for public consumption include tomatoes and cantalopes that have modified ripening characteristics, soybeans and sugarbeets that are resistant to herbicides, and corn and cotton plants with increased resistance to insect pests. Not all these products are available in supermarkets yet; however, the prevalence of GM foods in U.S. grocery stores is more widespread than is commonly thought. While there are very, very few genetically-modified whole fruits and vegetables available on produce stands, highly processed foods, such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals, most likely contain some tiny percentage of genetically-modified ingredients because the raw ingredients have been pooled into one processing stream from many different sources. Also, the ubiquity of soybean derivatives as food additives in the modern American diet virtually ensures that all U.S. consumers have been exposed to GM food products.

Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

For more information on Genetically-Modified Foods please visit:

Sources
Genetically-Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? at http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
U.S. Department of Agriculture at http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/biotechnology/

Mini Project # 3: Endangered Species

Colombia, located in South America, has a rich and diverse ecosystem. The country is home to one of the world’s greatest varieties of birds, as well as hundreds of different kinds of mammals and thousands of types of insects and plants. Yet the varied ecosystems of Colombia’s Andean ridges and valleys are becoming increasingly endangered, due mainly to deforestation and smuggling.

An article called Despatches: Americas written by Timothy Ross, a reporter with BBC News, states that "seven-million creatures every year are captured, smuggled out and sold abroad. Parrots, toucans and macaws, the golden lion tamarin, marmosets, ocelots and margay cats, even baby alligators, are victims of a savage traffic."

The following list represents the animals that are endangered in Colombia according to the 1994 - 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

The Caiman

Colombian Weasel

The Condor

Cotton-top Tamarin

Dryland Mouse Opossum

Ecuadorian Sac-Winged Bat

Giant Armadillo

Giant Otter

Green Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle

Magdalena River Turtle

Mountain Tapir

Olive Ridley

Pacarana

Variegated Spider Monkey

White-Footed Tamarin

This list represents the birds that are endangered.

Sources:
MSN Encarta
Animalinfo.org
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Mini Project # 2: Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle is the bio-geochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the Earth's atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic carbon reservoirs. The cycle is usually thought of as three major reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of exchange.

These reservoirs are:

• The atmosphere.


• The terrestrial biosphere, which is usually defined to include fresh water systems and non-living organic material, such as soil carbon.


• The oceans, including dissolved inorganic carbon and living and non-living marine biota.

The U.S. Carbon Cycle Program is an organization which seeks to better understand past changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, deliver credible predictions of future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and strengthen our understanding of climate change and the effect carbon has on the Earth.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration contains detailed information explaining the carbon cycle, the effect carbon has on the Earth and ways we can limit the amount of carbon released in the atmosphere.

Image and information from:
Wikipedia.org
U.S. Carbon Cycle Program
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Mini Project # 1: Environmental Organizations

The following links belong to respected organizations which are dedicated to the conservation of the environment and the protection of its natural resources and wildlife.

Wild Spot Foundation
http://www.wildspotsfoundation.org/moreaboutwsf.html

National Resouce Defense Council
http://www.nrdc.org/about/mission.asp

GreenPeace
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/about/our-core-values

My task is to determine which of the following organizations do I wish to join.

After reviewing each organizations mission statement,
I would like to join the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC).

The NRDC's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends by finding new ways in which humankind can be sustained indefinitely without fouling or depleting the resources that support all life on Earth.

I feel that their mission closely resembles my passion to find alternative ways to sustain humankind in an efficient and safe manner which minimizes the cost we place on the Earth. Alternatives such as solar and wind power, hydrogen or electricity to power automobiles, etc.