Savannah State Parking Essay Example for Free

Savannah State Parking Essay It’s common for a commuter or resident student to be on campus at Savannah State and not find a parking space. Parking has been a huge issue on campus lately. Nobody appears happy with the rules and regulations for student drivers. â€Å"It’s just not enough parking spaces,† freshman Morgan Walden said. â€Å"They tell us to buy decals, but when we buy them it’s still nowhere to park on this campus. I don’t see the point to spend my money when I don’t get the benefit that it’s supposed to be used for. † There are four different types of parking categories on SSU’s campus; orange for resident, blue for commuter, brown for faculty, and black for reserved. Decals are sold to determine where he or she may park around campus. In between classes I don’t have a place to park my car, and I can’t wait for the bus transportation to pick me up on time,† SSU commuter student Kim Wilson said. She feels like it forces her to park in areas where she may receive a ticket. Many drivers fear the idea of getting their vehicle either ticketed or booted while on campus. More tickets are given in the start of the fall semester, Robert Lemons said. Lemons oversee the writing of tickets and issuing of tire boots on campus. He also stated most tickets are given when students park in a reserved space or on the yellow curb and he alone issues about 10-20 tickets a day himself. Lemons has 3 student officers that work under him. Other schools have different ways of dealing with parking problems, although they also give tickets and boots. â€Å"Early in the morning most of the parking spaces are taken,† Georgia Southern student Kirvin Roberts said. GSU has about five different areas they are allowed to park at on campus. Their parking passes cost $120. They face a limited number of parking spaces like Savannah States which causes students to park in places where they aren’t supposed to. That is how their tickets accumulate. All fines are $30 and if you receive over $100 in tickets their vehicle will be booted. Savannah State is not the only campus that could use more parking spaces. The most recent addition to the campus was adding a new parking lot located where the old tennis courts was positioned. If there were more parking spaces that students were able to park their car, it would reduce the number of tickets giving out on campus on a daily basis.

Does Malaysia Need The Green Belt Concept Environmental Sciences Essay

Does Malaysia Need The Green Belt Concept Environmental Sciences Essay Malaysia is moving forward to be an industrialized economy. Malaysia moved from material production to manufacturing. The Malaysia manufacturing sector contributed 32% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007, exports of manufactured products account for 75% of Malaysias total export in 2007. The manufacturing industries have become the economys main source of growth in recent years. According to the Third Industrial Masterplan (IMP3) 2006 2020, twelve industries in the manufacturing sector have been targeted for further development and promotion (Table 1). These industries are strategically important in contributing to the greater growth of the manufacturing sector, in terms of higher value-added, technology, exports, knowledge content, multiplier and spin-off effects and potential to be integrated regionally and globally. But, on the other side, the future target might also encourage environmental degradation if there is no comprehensive plan toward sustainable industrial development is taken into consideration. Table 1: Exports and Investments Targets for the 12 Targeted Manufacturing Industries Source: Ministry of International Trade and Industry Environmental protection through pollution prevention and the meeting of environmental standards by waste treatment of the effluents in the various industries have not worked in many countries. The problem of industrial environmental pollution is particularly serious in developing countries where the enforcement of environmental regulations is not strictly enforced. Malaysia can experience high chances of negative environmental impacts due to its efforts to boost the rapid industrialisation of its economy. Many aspects of the residential environment and living conditions of houses located near industrial areas potentially affected. Evidence shows that plants can reduce the pollution level. In develop country they have come out with a Greenbelt Plan to buffer the urban and industrial area from spreading its pollutants. A greenbelt is an area of land that is preserved for a non-urban land use. The term of greenbelts tend to share two features, an open landscape (green) and a linear shape (belt). All this while, greenbelt was not being strongly addressed on developing country due to its target on economic growth. Develop country like United Kingdom and Canada have come out with their own Greenbelt Plan. Greenbelts in the UK have had a profound effect on the landscape around urban areas, for the most part achieving their purposes of keeping the countryside open and preventing new development except for agriculture, forestry and recreation. The London Green Belt was created in response to the unchecked and sprawling growth that took place in that city during the 1920s and 1930s. 1.2 Issues and Problems Statement Rapid industrialization can have a detrimental effect on the environment which is related to several including resource use, water and air pollution as well as waste generation. The severity of these environmental consequences may vary, depending on the technologies used in the industrial production process and its organization. Malaysias rapid economic and industrial growth is characterized as a mixed-use urban areas development that incorporates residential industrial areas. These residential areas support the industry by providing them human resources. This growth produces both positive and negative impacts on housing development. The lack of usable arable land for urban development further results in some housing estates being nestled within industrial establishments as consequences to urban sprawl. Current status of green efforts in Malaysia is focusing on commanding and controlling the wastes occurring during the manufacturing stage of a product. In Malaysia, only big businesses have committed to voluntary initiatives towards green industrial development and this approach is yet to be accepted by SMEs (small and medium enterprise). Landscaping the industrial areas by the development of greenbelts is an effective way of mitigating industrial pollution.The effectiveness of green belts differs depending on location and operation. They are often being eroded by urban rural fringe use and sometimes, development encroached over the green belt area, resulting in the creation of satellite towns which, although separated from the city by green belt, function more like suburbs than independent communities. 1.3 Objectives of Study i) To clarify the importance of industrial greenbelt for economic growth whilst minimizing environmental degradation. ii) To identify the significant aspect that should be considered for green industrial development. iii) To give a recommendation for effective strategies of Greenbelts Plan for industrials area towards achieving sustainable industrial development. 1.4 Significance of Study Greenbelts in urban areas particularly in industrial are important to the ecological health of any given region. The various plants and trees in greenbelts serve as organic sponges for various forms of pollution, and as carbon sequestration to help offset global warming. On the other hand, industrial activities in urban areas have caused cities to maintain higher temperatures than their surrounding countryside and these phenomena is known as an urban heat island. Parks and greenbelts will reduce temperatures while the Central Business District (CBD), commercial areas, and even suburban housing tracts are areas of warmer temperatures. Greenbelts are also important to help urban dwellers feel more connected to nature. All cities should earmark certain areas for the development of greenbelts to bring life and colour to the concrete jungle and serving a healthy environment to the urbanities. The future risk from rapid expanding of industrial development should be investigate and must be seriously taken into consideration. Therefore, through the establishment of planned greenbelts it can helps in limiting urban sprawl. 2.0 EVOLUTION OF GREENBELT CONCEPT 2.1 History of Greenbelt Concept The idea of greenbelt was inspired by Sir Ebenezer Howard, a British social reformer, at the beginning of the twentieth century. Howard proposed Garden City which would not only be free of pollution but would also be antidote of polluted cities. The garden cities would be surrounded by a green backcloth of agricultural land providing local employment opportunities as well as open space for recreation. It was British architect and planner Raymond Unwin, a town designer and contemporary of Howards, who coined the term greenbelt (Ruth and William, 1994). In 1898 the concept was developed to tackle the problems associated with the planning of new towns located outside the periphery of London, which was then sprawling far into the countryside. The Garden City Concept is one out of many attempts to reduce and solve social problems during the Industrialization Period. The problems occurred, as more and more farmers became workers in the factories. The living conditions became worse, due to the fact that many workers settlements were located next to the industrial areas or within the cities. Figure 1 illustrates diagram of The Three Magnets where Howard analysed why people move to city or to the country side. Howards proposal emphasized the integration of the town, the country. He found out that both have advantages and function as magnets. He started with discussions of the optimum size for towns whereby a central city of 58,000 people surrounded by smaller garden cities of 30,000 people each (Figure 2). Green space or greenbelt and agricultural land will be as major component in the garden city whereby the permanent green space would separate the city and towns and serving as a horizontal fence of farmland. The requirement of the greenbelt or agricultural land for the Garden City in Howards view was 5,000 acres of the total 6,000 acres. Therefore, his solution was to develop a city structure which contains the advantages of a city and those of the countryside. The main objective of the concept is to found a new city. Figure 2: Ebenezer Howard, Garden City. Figure 1: Garden Cities of To-morrow; The Three Magnets, Ebenezer Howard, 1902 In the United States, Franklin Roosevelt tried to adapt Howards new town concept as part of its resettlement program. In the American concept of greenbelt, relatively wide band of rural land or open space surrounded a town or city. The term greenbelt meant, generally, any swath of open space separating or interrupting urban development. The designated land is controlled through regulation or public or quasi-public ownership (such as the Nature Conservancy) to retain its natural character and provide a resemblance of rural ambience in urban areas (Ruth and William, 1994). 2.2 A Greenbelt as a Development Plan Component A greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an urban area instead of around it. In essence, a green belt is an invisible line encircling a certain area, preventing development of the area allowing wildlife to return and be established. The green belt policy was pioneered in the United Kingdom in the 1930s after pressure from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and various other organizations. There are fourteen green belt areas, in the UK covering 16,716 km ², or 13% of England, and 164 km ² of Scotland; In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail. The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, and consequently the most important attribute of green belts is their openness. 2.2 Categories of Greenbelt A greenbelt principal purpose is to protect open space for natural, cultural, or scenic resources, to separate urban communities, to preserve and conserve natural resources and agriculture. Therefore, greenbelt can be categorized as below. Figure 3: Category of Greenbelt 2.2.1 Shelter Belts and Wind Breaks A shelterbelt is usually a barrier longer than a wind break and consists of a combination of shrubs and trees intended for the protection of field crops and the conservation of soil and water. A wind break is a barrier for protection from winds commonly associated with vegetable gardens and orchards. (Abbasi and Khan, 2000) The objectives of creating shelterbelts are: to protect agricultural land to shelter population in a city-from hot wind blast to arrest particulate matters as much as possible to shelter live-stock to control sand movement to provide healthy habitat 2.2.1 Forest Belts Forest belts is consists of protected natural forest. The objectives of preserving forest belts are: to protect watershed area to protect wildlife and its habitat to act as major carbon sequestration to preserve the exotic and indigenous species of forest vegetation to achieve environmental equilibrium with development 2.3 Greenbelt Encroachment by Urbanisation There is no doubt that human civilisation has had a negative impact on biodiversity and since the industrial revolution the negative impacts have only increased with processes such as over fishing and hunting, agriculture, the use of herbicides and pesticides and urban sprawl (Hunter, 2007). Rapid urban growth has led to the problems of urban sprawl, ribbon development, unregulated development, high cost for urban infrastructure, and pollution due to the inadequate disposal of urban and industrial waste. All such issues involve land. Land can be used for agriculture, forestry, grazing, industrial and urban uses, utility corridors, roads, waste disposal and recreation. With the increase of urban population, more and more green areas have to be converted into urban use. Large cities on the other hand need to have the land to spread out. Increase in population will put the pressure on land to serve a better accommodation and facilities for human needs. Industrial development will provide job for people, but in the same time it provides an opportunity to the developer to clear up the land for housing development. When there is housing development, other kind of development will follows, such as commercial retail areas and school. 3.0 THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATE 3.1 Industrialization Evolution Ever since Industrial Revolution from late eighteen century, economic progress and development have been closely identified with industrialization. This thinking has continued to influence policy makers especially so in developing countries (Jomo, 1993). Since the early 1970s, it has been widely recognized that to ease the problems of poverty and mass unemployment encountered in developing countries, industrialization should play a key role in the economic growth of these nations. The types of industries deemed most suitable for promotion in developing countries are the small and medium-scale industries. These industries are generally less capital intensive than large-scale industries and hence are more spread out in terms of ownership. Establishment of small and medium-scale industries could thus lead to a more equitable distribution of income. Former studies on development of small-scale industries have concluded that an effective means of promoting the growth and dispersal of small and medium-scale industries is the provision of proper sites for the establishment of these enterprises. These sites should preferably be located in an industrial estate which is defined as a tract of land which is subdivided and developed according to a comprehensive plan for use of a community of industrial enterprises (Fong 1980). In other words, an industrial estate can also be known as an industrial park. An industrial park is defined as a large tract of land, sub-divided and developed for the use of several firms simultaneously, distinguished by its shareable infrastructure and close proximity of firms. Types and synonyms of industrial parks include industrial estates, industrial districts, export processing zones, industrial clusters, business parks, office parks, science and research parks, bio-technology parks and eco-industrial park (Peddle, 1993). 3.2 Industrial Estate Development in Malaysia Figure 4: Malaysias Industrial Development Phase (1867 1957) Export of agricultural products minerals (1957 1969) Import Substitution Industrialization Strategy (ISI) (1970 1980) Export Oriented Industrialization Strategy (EOI) (1981 1986) Import Substitution Industrialization Strategy (ISI) (1987 1996) Export Oriented Industrialization Strategy (EOI) (1997 2005) Recovery Period (EOI) Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 (2006 beyond) EOI Phase 7 Malaysias industrial development can be classified into seven phases according to industrial strategies (Figure 4). The first phase was during the British colonial rule (1867-1957) which was largely limited to export of agricultural products and minerals mainly rubber and tin. The period immediately after independence (1957-1969) is the second phase largely dominated by the Import Substitution Industrialization strategy (ISI). Export Oriented Industrialization strategy (EOI) was introduced in 1970 until 1980, followed by the second round of ISI from 1981 up to 1986, an constitute the third and fourth phase respectively. The fifth phase marked the return to EOI in 1987 till 1996. The Asian crisis and the recovery period constitute another phase from 1997 up until 2005. The final phase was in 2006 and beyond where Malaysian economy hopes to move towards global competitiveness. In early 1970s it has been realized that rapid economic development in developing countries leads to an acute inequality in income distribution. To prevent massive dissatisfaction among their citizens, developing countries were urged to achieve economic growth (particularly industrial growth) with distribution of income as their development goal. Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and in many ways a Third World success story. From a country dependent on agriculture and primary commodities in the sixties, Malaysia has today become an export driven economy spurred on by high technology, knowledge based and capital intensive industries. The establishment of industrial estates in the locations where such activities are desired became a good way of promoting growth and dispersal of industrial activities which can accelerate the economy of the country. Industrial estates are specific areas zoned for industrial activity where infrastructure (such as roads, power and other utility services) is provided to facilitate the growth of industries and to minimize the impacts on the environment. Industrial estates may include effluent treatment; solid and toxic waste collection, treatment, and disposal; air pollution and effluent monitoring; technical services on pollution prevention; quality management (quality assurance and control); and laboratory services. In the context of economic strategy, State Economic Development Corporations (SEDCs) were established by the various Malaysian states to stimulate industrialization through the development of industrial estates in the respective states. The industrial estates to be established by these SEDCs are envisaged to be in the form of improved tracts of land, with access roads and utility services. Industrial land so developed are leased out (usually for 99 years) to interested entrepreneurs. The lower rates are for industrial land developed in the rural areas, while the higher rates are for such land developed in the urban areas. Currently, Malaysia has over 200 industrial estates or parks occupying a total of 16,000 hectares and 13 Free Industrial Zones (FIZs) developed by government agencies, namely, the State Economic Development Corporations (SEDCs), Regional Development Authorities (RDAs), port authorities and municipalities throughout the country. New sites, fully equipped with infrastructure facilities such as roads, electricity and water supplies, and telecommunications, are continuously being developed by state governments as well as private developers to meet demand. Specialised parks have been developed in Malaysia to cater to the needs of specific industries. Examples of these parks are the Technology Park Malaysia in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur and the Kulim Hi-Tech Park in the northern state of Kedah which cater to technology-intensive industries and RD activities. 3.3 Environmental Impacts from the Industrial Estates The effects on the environment connected with industrial activities are mainly related to the production of industrial wastes either from its emission or effluent discharges. Figure 5 illustrates on the possible environmental impacts of industrial estates. POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATES Spills Contaminated soil lost future land use Disposal of solid wastes Local nuisances such as noise, lighting transport Landscape disturbance Ozone depleting greenhouse gases Habitat degradation Air Pollution Freshwater Pollution Marine Pollution Risks from hazardous waste Exposure to toxic chemicals Figure 5: Possible environmental impacts of industrial estates Industrial development may always cause changes to the physical environment. Under natural condition, landuse changes can be absorbed by the physical environment through interactions of the various components to attain a dynamic equilibrium state. Rapid human disturbance will create imbalance to the environmental ecosystem as well as to human quality of life. There are a number of forms of industrial pollution. One of the most common is water pollution, caused by dumping of industrial waste into waterways, or improper containment of waste, which causes leakage into groundwater and waterways. Industries release pollutants which impact air quality that lead to photochemical smog, haze and acidification. Due to industrial discharges, and the indiscriminate disposal of raw materials, land pollution takes place. Both, air and water pollution will affected human beings, birds and aquatic life. Ozone depletion is another result of industrial pollution. Chemicals released by industries will affect the stratosphere, one of the atmospheric layers surrounding earth. The ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The emission from industries will removes some of the ozone, causing holes; to open up in this layer and allowing the radiation to reach the earth. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin cancer and has damaging effects on plants and wildlife. Activities in industrial estates also can cause noise pollution. Industrial noise refers to noise that is created in the factories which is jarring and unbearable. Sound becomes noise only it becomes unwanted and when it becomes more than that it is referred to as noise pollution. Heavy industries like shipbuilding and iron and steel have long been associated with Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Continuous exposure to noise pollution leads to hearing impairment especially for people who are working in the industry and common people as well. It has been scientifically proved that noise more than 85 decibels can cause hearing impairment and does not meet the standards set for healthy working environment. 4.0 A RATIONALE FOR AN INDUSTRIAL GREENBELT 4.1 Current Status of Greenbelt Consideration in Industrial Estate As highlight in earlier chapter, current status of green efforts in Malaysia is focusing on commanding and controlling the wastes produce during the manufacturing stage of a product. Green efforts in Malaysia can be classified into four groups as follows: Broad Guiding Principles: Establishing common principles and statements of intent across subscribing organizations. Process Based Management Systems: ISO 14001 is a well known example of a process based environmental management system. Performance Based Systems: Public disclosure of industrial pollution programs is examples of voluntary programs with clear performance standards. Process-based Systems with Performance Elements: Establishing a hybrid system that combines a structured management system approach with specific performance requirements. Unfortunately, there is no specific guideline and regulation of creating and preserving greenbelt in developing industrial estates as many parties seen it as a secondly important factor. In Malaysia, Kulim Hi-Tech Park is the first in country that can be seen as well planned fully-integrated high technology park. Besides providing one of the best infrastructures, the Parks Masterplan also emphasizes on the quality of life within a self-contained township. Amenities incorporated in the plan include a shopping centre, a hospital, educational institutions and recreational facilities. But still, we are lacking in controlling the development over-exploitation the land resulting which can resulting environmental deterioration. 4.2 Pollution Status Caused by Industrial in Malaysia The two major environmental issues in Malaysia caused by industrial activities are atmospheric pollution and solid and hazardous wastes (Khidir and Suhaiza, 2009). 4.2.1 Atmospheric Pollution Atmospheric pollution has long been associated with the burning of fossil fuels, the resulting sulphur dioxide being a major atmospheric pollutant. Combustion of motor fuels causes an added influx of volatile organic compounds (VOC), coupled with carbon dioxide (CO2) and Nox, nitrous oxides. In Malaysia, local and transboundary emissions play very important roles in determining the status of the atmospheric environment (Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006). The major pollutants observed are sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and total suspended particulate matter, in particular PM10 (Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006). Industries including power stations, motor vehicles and open burning activities remain the major sources of air pollution in the country. In 2008 a total of 22.971 industrial sources were identified to be subjected to Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations, 1978. The breakdown of industrial sources by states is as shown in Figure 6. The highest number of stationary pollution sources was in Johor (8141:34%) followed by Selangor (4127:18%) and Perak (2956:12.9%). This is possibly due to the large industrial area in Johor and Selangor that contributed to the pollution. Besides that, both states have a rapid landuse development resulting to the environmental degradation. As to particulate matter, the highest contributor was industries (40%) followed by power stations (25%), motor vehicles (14%) and others (21%) (Figure 7). Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 6 : Industrial air pollution sources by state in Malaysia, 2008 Motor vehicles Power station Industrial Others 4,557 (14%) 7,784 (25%) 12,664 (40%) 6,667 (21%) Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 7: Particulate Matter (PM) emission load by sources (metric tonnes),2008 4.2.2 Solid and Hazardous Wastes Growing affluence and increasing concentration of population in urban areas have increased the generation and types of solid waste produced. Solid waste management is one of the most important issues of local authorities; where much money is spent in the collection and disposal of solid waste (Hassan et. al, 2000). Toxic and hazardous wastes are also one of the major issues in Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia produces about 10000 tonnes of waste every day, equal to 0.8 to 1.5 kg per capita (MGCC, 2006). According to Hassan, Awang and Jaffar, 2006, the amount of solid waste collected in Malaysia is 70 percent of waste generated The remaining 30 percent not collected ends up in illegal dumping sites, or is diverted at source or during collection for recycling purposes. The illegal dumping sites can cause leachate which possibly will contaminate the soil as well as the waterways. The recycling activities amount to only 5% of total waste generated. Manufacturing industry 6,830 (38.73%) Sewage treatment plants 9,524 (54.01%) Agro-based industry 491 (2.78%) Animal farm (Pig farm) 788 (4.48%)Solid, toxic and hazardous wastes become pollutants to the water. In 2008, 17,633 water pollution point sources were recorded. These comprise of sewage treatment plants (9,524:54.01%) inclusive 668 Network Pump Stations), manufacturing industries (6,830: 38.73%), animal farms (788:4.48%) and agro-based industries (491:2.78%) as shown in Figure 8 (Department of Environment). Source: DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. Figure 8 : Composition of water pollution sources by sector, 2008 Manufacturing industry was in the second place of water pollution sources. This is due to the expanding of industrial estates in the country. Compared to 2007, there are declining in water quality trend of river basins in 2008 (Figure 9). From 94 clean river basins were recorded, it reduce to 79 in 2008. Whereas, the number for both, slightly polluted and polluted river were increased. Figure 9 : Riber basins Water Quality Trend based on BOD subindex (1998-2008) Source of Pollution (Activity): Sewage, agrobased manufacturing industries. Pollution Indicator (Parameter): Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) Clean Slightly polluted Polluted Source: *DOE, Environmental Quality Report 2008. From all those charts and statistics, there are evidences to shows that industrial estates have become one of the major contributors to environmental pollution in the country. Therefore, there is need for an alternative plan on how to overcome this problem eventhough special requirements and regulation has been put into efforts but still there is declining in environmental quality. 4.3 Greenbelt as Environmental Pollution Abatement In the context of environmental pollution abatement, a greenbelt has been defined as a strip of trees of such species, and such a geometry, that when planted around a source, would significantly attenuate the air pollution by intercepting and assimilating the pollutants in a sustainable manner (Ruth and William, 1994). The concept of greenbelt as a source of pollution abatement was recognized initially by three nations: The U.S.A., Britain and Kenya (Ruth and William, 1994; Gareth et al., 1992; Andy, 1991; Parsons, 1990). In reality greenbelts almost always include other vegetation, especially shrubs, which also play some role in capturing pollutants. But trees are the mainstays of greenbelts, and often greenbelt plantation is simply referred as trees eventhough other types of vegetation is also established and nurtured. 4.3.1 Air Pollutants Removal by Vegetation Plants remove pollutants from the air in three ways: (i) Absorption by the leaves, (ii) Deposition of particulate and aerosols on leaf surface, and (iii) Fallout of particulate on the leeward (downwind) side of the vegetation because of the slowing of the air movement (Tewari, 1994; Rawat and Banerjee, 1996). Vegetation acts as CO2 sink and some species have the capacity to utilise air pollutants effectively. Several plants have the capacity to collect the dust suspended in the atmosphere and dilute the concentration of toxic and harmful gases. Trees have been reported to remove air pollutants like hydrogen fluoride, SO2, and some compounds of photochemical reactions and collect heavy metals like mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) from the air (Hill, 1971; Lin, 1976). After absorbing the air pollutants, trees change them to harmless metabolites through various physiological processes. Of course each and every plant cannot be an agent of air pollution control; only those which can tolerate pollutants can act as attenuators. All-in-all, increasing vegetation in the cities, towns, and industrial establishments holds great potential to combat air pollution. Substantial evidence is available to support the view that plants in general and trees in particular function as sinks for gaseous pollutants. 4.3.1 Soil and Water Pollutants Removal by Vegetation Surface water streams are also affected by industrial effluents and organics. Most of the treated industrial

A Feminist Reading of The Last of the Mohicans Essay example -- Femini

A Feminist Reading of The Last of the Mohicans    While most often studied as a romance or adventure novel, the most dominant characteristic of The Last of the Mohicans is overlooked: phallicism.   From this phallicism stems Cooper's patriarchal view of society.   In the novel, men are symbolically set apart from women by the possession of weapons (the phallic symbol), and men are separated from one another by the size of their weapons.   The more powerful the men are those bearing the larger, longer weapons. The main character, Hawk-eye, possesses "...a rifle of great length..." (32).   Indeed, the rifle is so long, and so deadly in the scout's hands (he has "...a natural turn with a rifle..."), that he is given the name of 'La Longue Carabine' by his enemies.   The scout symbolizes the greatest male power in the novel, and he is therefore the greatest protector of the women as well.    As the size of the weapons of the other characters decreases, so too does their generative power.   Only slightly shorter than the scout in weapon length are Uncas and Chingachgook, who, while carrying knives, also brandish long hunting rifles. Uncas is the closest to the scout in length, for he carries his former rifle-hearing a shot in the woods, the scout recognizes the shot of Uncas, saying " '...I carried the gun myself until a better offered'" (230).   Thus even though Uncas possesses a weapon of substantial length, he still comes up a bit short when compared with the scout.   Next on the list of length is Duncan Heyward, who begins the novel carrying a mere pistol, grows in generative power as the story progresses-near the end of the novel he shows he can handle a hunting rifle almost as well as the scout.   When the group first leaves ... ...weapon...drawn to his shoulder," the scout preserves the honor of all by killing Magua with a blast from 'Kill-deer' (401).    In this novel overflowing with phallic imagery, it is clear that power lies in weapons, and size does matter.   Without weapon, Gamut protects no one.   Heyward only begins to wield power when he exchanges pistol for rifle. Although a valiant warrior, even Uncas dies after abandoning his rifle.   Conversely, Chingachgook keeps his weapon, and remains alive.   And Hawk-eye, the most powerful protector, is only vulnerable when he does not have 'Kill-deer' in his hands.   In Cooper's patriarchal society, the man with the longest gun is the man who saves the day.   When the big gun is gone, however, all of society is vulnerable.    Work Cited: Cooper, James Fenimore.   The Last of the Mohicans.   NY: Signet Classic, 1962.      

The Maturation of a Maternal Bond in Morning Song Essay examples -- Mo

The Maturation of a Maternal Bond in Morning Song  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is the only difference between the emotions of an ordinary smiling new mother in the 1960's and those of Sylvia Plath when she writes her melancholy "Morning Song" soon after her child's birth?   While most new mothers pretended all was well, Plath published her true feelings. Simply because society held that all new mothers should be filled with immense joy after giving birth does not mean that they actually were.   Plath had the courage to admit she was confused, and her poem, "Morning Song," focuses on one woman's mixed senses of apprehension and of awe upon the birth of her child which create both feelings of separation and affection that contend to determine the strength of her maternal bond.    The first line of Plath's poem, "Love set you going like a fat gold watch," shows the emotional forces conflicting within the mother's mind. The fact that she chooses the word "love" rather than a more carnal image like "sex" shows that the infant was conceived from an intimate bond and creates a positive connection between mother and child. Using simile, "a fat gold watch," changes the impact of this line. While the word "fat" alludes to the cumbersome nature of the infant, the word "gold" represents the child as precious and valued, and the word "watch" conjures to mind the seemingly endless task of raising a child. In her book The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir asserts that "a whole complex of economical and sentimental considerations makes the baby seem either a hindrance or a jewel," but Plath's "fat gold watch" suggests a newborn can be both (509). Detachment caused by the mother's sense of apprehension is evident as she says to her child, "New statu... ...h which she receives the baby's cries suggests that she is touched by the baby's humanity, its unique individuality. In "Morning Song," the mother's bond to her infant strengthens as she tries to deny it. While attempting to prove that she has no connection to this new life, the bonds become undeniable as the infant opposes her with his or her "clear vowels." This "handful of notes" is all that is needed to dispel all pretenses of indifference toward the child. As the cries "rise like balloons" so too, it seems, do the mother's spirits and attitude toward the new life she has brought into the world.   Works Cited de Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. New York: McClelland and Stewart, 1953. Plath, Sylvia. "Morning Song." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. 3rd ed. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 690.   

The Biggest Challenge Facing Social Work Today Essay -- Essays Papers

The Biggest Challenge Facing Social Work Today I f the profession of social work was a client we might say that she was wrestling with the psychosocial crisis of identity versus identity confusion. We might assess the conflicted issues from her childhood (casework versus therapy versus policy/administration), the inadequate mirroring she receives from her environment (a culture that needs her to help those who the culture pretends do not exist, but is also compelled to devalue her for the same reason), and the gender biases that help keep social work a low-status, poorly compensated profession. Depending on our theoretical interests we might perform various tasks with our client. We might offer ourselves to our client as idealized figures of power and generosity, evaluate the maladaptive cognitive processes that contribute to her impasse, or attempt to break up the sequences of negative reinforcement and sanctions that lock our client into someone else's agenda. Other professions, such as business, medicine, and law, vigorously identify themselves with expanding technologica...

Learning Denied Essay

Controversy over the special education of apprentices with learning inability into usual classrooms provides substantial evidence in favor of special education. Although the heated debate which has risen over the pros and cons of special education remains intense, arguments supporting special education tend to outweigh those against special education. Protesters of special education think only of the children with a high chance of academic success. In my opinion, the apparent query is who has the right to judge that only mentally advantaged children should be afforded the opportunity of a normal classroom education? After all, more than just academics are learned in the classroom. Social interaction skills, for instance, also play a huge role in the education process. Simply because mentally disabled children do not have great academic potential does not mean they should be stripped from the experience of attending a regular classroom. In an investigation done by eight graduate students, ninety-three students from two inner-city public elementary schools were observed. The reason was to scrutinize the dissimilarities amongst apprentices with learning inability, students with little educational accomplishment, and learners with regular educational success. In each of the 22 classrooms involved in the study, two children labeled as learning disabled were mainstreamed. To some extent unexpected outcome of the trial was that the students with education disabilities showed a better school commitment than the learners with small attainment. In addition, the pupils with learning disabilities demonstrated a huge attention in the school lesson and, as a result, established more awareness from their teachers. The data received from the research investigation proves that disabled children, like other children have the desire and self-motivation to learn. This fact contradicts the statements made by opponents of special education, who claim that learning disabled children in the regular classroom will bring down the level of learning of the average students. Instead, it seems from the outcome of the investigation that the opponents of special education need to admit that it could be the children with low academic attainment, rather than the children with learning disabilities, that bring down the average students’ level of learning. Although children with learning disabilities may not fare as well on tests as low or average achievers, their presence in the regular classroom certainly will not hinder the success of the other students. It is a known fact that students will respond according to the expectations placed on them (Denny Taylor, 1990). Another concern of many protesters of special education is that learners with disabilities have social difficulties. They believe that learning-disabled students that are incorporated into the standard classroom will become outcasts. I agree with who claim that the special education of disabled students results in better socialization skills for the disabled children. In a study of the social relationships of students in special education classrooms, researchers found that learners with disabilities were well incorporated into the regular classroom social setting. The results clearly disprove the concern that students with learning disabilities would be outcasts in a regular classroom. Another advantage of special education pointed out by experts is that exceptional children in a mainstreamed classroom will learn to accept people despite their differences. Nondiscrimination is an important life lesson, and special education provides the opportunity for children to learn it. In addition to reducing discrimination among peers, special education promotes a system of cooperation. Students are forced to work together and create a cooperative, not competitive, environment. All of the previous listed advantages of special education are part of the goal of mainstreaming which is to â€Å"create a classroom/community where all children can work together, learn, and develop mutually supportive repertoires with peers and adults. † Realizing mainstream or special needs education depends on many factors outside and inside the school. Mainstreaming or special needs education should be part of an encompassing development in society, in which the concept of disability and the position of people with disabilities and/or special needs are changing. In this perspective, persons with special needs should be seen as citizens who have rights within the society as a whole, and no longer should they be seen primarily in terms of their need for special care and treatment; the last to be treated for reasons of efficiency and convenience in special settings. Regardless of special need (handicap or disability), everybody should be treated as an integral member of society. The particular services essential must be offered inside the structure of the communal, learning, physical condition, and other services accessible to all associates of society. Without a solid inclusion-oriented people, comprehensive schools are not possible. Inclusion in education should be measured as one of the numerous features of inclusion in society (Mary Konya Weishaar, 2000). Solution to the Issues: A main task for the administration is to generate sufficient circumstances for the completion of inclusive or special needs education. Without sufficient government involvement, and without the government playing a leading role in promoting legislation, giving financial support, and developing policies, inclusive education will only receive lip-service. An obvious, complete, and decisive strategy declaration might take steps as a means to all stakeholders in teaching: policymakers, majors, educators, parents, amalgamations, non-government associations, referring organizations, and other experts. Schools and, therefore, principals, teachers, and parents are the active agents in the process of developing and implementing plans for mainstream or special needs education. Special education depends heavily on how schools organize their education and what teachers do in their classrooms. If the uniqueness of every child is the central focus of the school system, then finding manageable ways to meet those specific, individual needs is the main responsibility of the regular classroom teacher. Special education is not just an issue of placement of a special needs student in the regular classroom setting; it means both innovation and changes in regular schools as well as in special education schools (Arlene Sacks, 2001). Conclusion: The focus of the inclusive, special needs approach therefore is to support the regular special education school system, that is, the management, the regular classroom teacher and others involved in the teaching process. It should be part of a total school-wide reform resulting in some fundamental changes of policy, philosophy, structure, organization, curriculum, the instructional process, and the management of resources of the regular school. The most important meaning in this attitude modification ought to be that a regular instructor senses an ethical and societal obligation, and is capable and prepared adequately to offer teaching to learners with special wants, making utmost utilization of the resources that are offered. In order to achieve this attitude change, pre-service and in-service training should be provided, not only for teachers working in the program but also for principals and other personnel involved. The true coordinators of the special education process are the teachers. Each pair of teachers that work together must have the desire to teach all children in the least restrictive environment. The extra time and planning involved in creating such an environment requires an enormous amount of devotion. Jamaicans owe everything to the caring teachers who go out of their way to help our country’s children. If only everyone could see the benefits reaped from special education instead of showing a stubborn resistance to change, more children would gain the opportunity to succeed in life. Children are our future, and each child, regardless of intellectual capability, deserves a fair chance. References: Taylor, Denny. 1990. Learning Denied. Published by Heinemann. Hofstra University Foreword by William L. Wansart Weishaar, Mary Konya. 2000. Inclusive Educational Administration: A Case Study Approach. Published by McGraw Hill Sacks, Arlene. 2001. Special Education: A Reference Handbook. Published by ABC-CLIO

Lincoln Hospital Case Study Essay

Introduction This case describes a crisis situation that unfolds at the Lincoln Hospital, a 400-bed for-profit facility. At the root of the crisis is a dysfunctional relationship between the newly elected chief of surgery, Don, and the Operating Room (OR) director of 13-years, Mary. As a result of their discord, multiple exacerbated issues are occurring throughout the hospital. These issues are impacting the ability of the hospital to successfully perform the planned surgeries without incurring significant issues. The hospital has lost forty percent of the experienced OR nursing staff during the previous eight months, lessor experienced OR nurses are inefficiently replacing the more experienced nurses, physicians are threatening to conduct their surgeries in different hospitals, physicians are arriving late for scheduled surgeries, the staff is divided, and the necessary equipment is either not available or not the correct size resulting in delays and impacts to performing the surgeries. The president of the hospital is facing a daunting dilemma in trying to figure out how to bring this discord to closure and remedy the perturbating effects of this hostile relationship. He believes the discord is responsible for  the other systematic issues seen throughout the hospital. He considers firing Mary but quickly realizes she is an invaluable asset that he cannot afford to let go. At the same time, he realizes he needs to be accommodating to the surgeons or they will take their patients to another hospital. The competitive market adds complexity to the situation since the hospital is facing escalating costs, changes in regulations, and strict accreditation standards. The president realizes the surgeons are loyal to the new chief of surgery and that he cannot afford to alienate or oppose the newly elected chief of surgery for fear of losing the surgeons to his competition. The president conducts his own initial investigation by speaking with both nurses and doctors. He tells Mary and Don that they must resolve their conflict by meeting with each other until they resolve their issues; the meetings would begin immediately. To ensure Mary and Don follow through with his mandate, the president selects an impartial observer, the new executive vice president and chief operating office, Terry, to mediate the meetings. Both Mary and Don also ask their respective vice presidents to sit in on the meetings to ensure fairness in the process. Neither Mary nor Don wants to participate in these meetings and as such, the results of the meeting are less than fruitful. The initial meeting results in a hostile free-for-all. The president of Lincoln Hospital ultimately contracts with an Organizational Development (OD) consultant to remedy the situation. The OD consultant meets with Mary and Don separately to obtain answers to the following three questions: 1) What does he or she do well? 2) What do I think I do that bugs him or her? 3) What does he or she do that bugs me? Mary and Don were able to see the positive characteristics about the other person through the process of answering the questions. Neither Mary nor Don had openly attributed their respect and admiration for the skills of the other person. Prior to participating in this exercise, their answers revealed the existence of ongoing and escalating frustrations concerning their inability to effectuate good interpersonal skills. As Mary and Don continue to participate in these meetings, they become better equipped to address their confrontational issues. They are better positioned and able  to follow through with identifying specific problems, altering their reactions and their behaviors to effectuate co-existence in a productive way. Contracting and Diagnosis Stages The case did not elaborate much on the contracting stage between the president and the OD consultant. The case stated the president was in communication with the OD consultant. The president described a high level overview of the problem and subsequently hired the OD consultant with the expectation that the consultant would champion resolution of the dysfunction between Mary and Don. The OD consultant did not have the opportunity to talk with either Mary or Don prior to establishing a contract with the president. There was no agreement regarding the time to resolve the issues, or the acceptable solutions versus unacceptable solutions, other than the solution must include ongoing employment for both Mary and Don. The output of the contracting process is make a good decision about how to carry out the effort, define the resources needed to accomplish the tasks and document the assumptions, risks, and constraints. The contract ensures all parties are in agreement regarding the necessary commitments, support, and resources. Suggestions for establishing an effective contract would include carefully approaching the contracting process by laying out a model of how the OD process should flow. The contracting process should include all parties, which would be inclusive of Mary and Don. This ensures they all have an input into establishing expectations for the process in terms of the desired outcomes, establish ground rules that all parties could abide by, and agree upon the time and resources that would be devoted to completing the goals within the given constraints. In addition, the OD consultant should state what his expectations are regarding the process. All parties involved need to be clear about their commitment of time and resources to the effort. In addition, Mary, Don, and the OD consultant should agree upon how they will work together. Some conversations may require confidential conversations or information. This type of information should be part of the contract. The diagnosing process began largely from the description given to the OD consultant by the president and not as a collaborative effort among all affected stakeholders. As stated earlier,  Mary and Don, as well as other affected members of the organization, were not engaged in the early meetings. The OD consultant may have a skewed view of the problem since he did not diagnose the problem but rather received the information second hand. His ability to identify the issues to focus on, how to collect data to measure the progress of a proposed implementation, and how to obtain agreement upon the process for assigning action steps is largely from the president’s view. Suggestions for implementing a better diagnosing process would include engaging all affected parties, in a collaborative fashion, to understand all the issues, analyze them, and draw conclusions for action planning and intervention. They should be involved in actively developing appropriate interventions and implementations. An assessment, of the current state of the organization, will identify ways to enhance the organization’s existing functioning. A diagnostic model will point out what areas to examine and what questions to ask in assessing how they are operating. The diagnostic model should include inputs, design components, and outputs. Third-Party or Other Types of Intervention The third-party intervention is an appropriate intervention. It successfully generated positive results and reduced the friction between the two parties. However an element of tension still exists between Mary and Don. The consultant was able to get Mary and Don see past their differences and work together to resolve the issues in a productive way. This allows Mary and Don to see a side of each other they did not know existed, which allows the tensions to subside between the two. This also allows the organization to benefit since Mary and Don appear to be the catalyst for subsequent symptoms appearing throughout the organization. Since much of the information, for diagnosing the situation, came from Mary, Don, and the other people affected by the discord, the diagnosis stage is utilizing accurate data to implement resolutions to the problems. This data is the basis of the intervention and as such it allows Mary and Don to make commitments regarding resolution of their issues. Mary and Don also have a new tool they can use in future meetings and interactions. Other possible interventions may include utilization of process consultations and  team building events. Process consultations focus on the interpersonal relations and the social dynamics between groups. The team building intervention assists groups in working to evaluate their processes as well as establishing solutions to resolve problems. Third-Party Effectivity and Next Steps The third-party intervention is an effective intervention even though not all of the problems were completely resolved; perturbating effects still exist and fuel the discord between Mary and Don. Other issues are still present that need to be resolved throughout the organization. This intervention allows both parties, Mary and Don, to take ownership for the issues that resulted and changes the way they relate and interact with each other. It allows Mary and Don the ability to collaborate in the solutions and accept mutual responsibility for their part in the situation. In addition, they are now able to focus on solutions versus their problems. Although there continues to be some conflict between Mary and Don, they are trying to work through their issues in a productive way. Process consultation should occur to ensure they are still making the needed progress. This method would allow flexibility regarding time commitments for all involved. In addition, repetitive practice in exercising these newly learned behaviors will result in institutionalized behaviors. References Cummings, T. & Worley, C., (2009). Organization development & change. In (Eds.), Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.