Plan B Ch. 10 /Earth Charter

"The death of our civilization is no longer a theory or an academic possibility; it is the road we're on" (Peter Goldmark 241).

This is an amazing quote.  I really like it because it is the truth and it sounds so on point.  I agree with Peter's quote here and it is sad to say, but it's the truth. This quote sounds so dark and depressing.  Our world is just deteriorating because of our actions.  We are basically living healthy lives on a dying planet.  It's funny to think that the death of our civilization was only a theory.  Now it's reality and it is inevitable.  Maybe if we turn things around now our civilization might just have a chance at proving Peter wrong.

Earth Charter:
1. Respect and Care for the Community of Life
"Principal one of the Earth Charter says that, '...all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of it's worth to human beings.' On the Naples Preserve for my service learning, I remember Becky talking about how important it is to her to have people want to come and help out the preserve. She said that a lot of this stuff probably seems worthless to most people, but in reality it is very important. 

2. Ecological Integrity
"Principal two of the Earth Charter says that, '...promote the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.' I remember on the field trip that we took out near Fort Myers beach where we listened to the instructor talk about the wildlife that was out there before we walked out on the boardwalk.  The instructor passed out a bunch of papers that had different species on there and she talked about how important it was to protect those species and ecosystems.  I could tell by the way she talked for awhile about the species and ecosystems that she really wanted to stress the importance of them both.

3. Social and Economic Justice
"Principal three of the Earth Charter says that, '...provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.' For my group project it was about poverty and it's crazy to know that people out there are making only $1.25 a day.  This is so sad and I think we should definitely provide those people who are struggling out there with the social security and safety nets, because it's the right thing to do.  No one wants to live a life on edge. 

4. Democracy, Non-Violence, and Peace
"Principal four of the Earth Charter says that, '...enhance the role of mass media in raising awareness of ecological and social challenges.' In class discussions I remember we always talked about how important it was to raise awareness out there to start fixing our world that we live in.  Since our planet isn't looking good we need to let everyone know about how we need to fix a lot of things to turn this world around.  Ecological and social challenges are very high topics today and raising awareness would just make those challenges obtainable.