F.D.A. Finishes Food Labels for How We Eat Now

ScrAPES#23: New Food Labels

by Sabrina Tavernise

May 20, 2016

There is a major change to the food nutrition labels due to Michelle Obama's campaign "Let's Move!". It magnifies calorie counts in large fonts, proportion size, and finally sugar label and percentage. The Sugar Association primarily did not want to add a separate line for "added sugar" and was disappointed with the F.D.A.'s decision to require a second line for it. This move is a way to allow buyers to know how much sugar or calorie the product has and mainly to prevent obesity, strokes, heart diseases, etc. Especially for children who are on the heavy side or obese at a very young age, so that they can prevent it from spreading the epidemic. 

This is interesting to me because it reminds me of the documentary my class watched about obesity and sugar; it was called Fed Up. The documentary discussed about the widespread epidemic of obesity in younger children and how companies and manufacturers are adding so much sugar or fructose into the products. They also discussed about Michelle Obama's "Lets Move!" campaign and that the American way to lose weight or prevent weight gain is exercising. As well as the Sugar Association disagreeing to the plan on adding a line for sugar percentage. 

This is important to the environment because obesity is a huge problem in the United States and it is mostly because of processed or artificial food. Children nowadays are so influenced to eat unhealthy at a very young age and they get less lessons on how to eat healthy. It is like a drug; either marijuana, coke, or heroine it is addictive and poisonous. It causes diabetes in young children where it should not be in. I think it is very important for people to know what is in their food and that way they can calculate how much calorie or sugar they want to take or want their children to have and that is ONE of the MAJOR way to lose weight, in my own opinion, and the other is exercising.

Resources:

• F.D.A. Finishes Food Labels for How We Eat Now

New Solar Plants Generate Floating Green Power

ScrAPES#22: New Solar Panels Generate Floating Green Power

by Erica Goode

May 20, 2016

In Japan's Chiba Prefecture there are blue solar panels that stretches across the Yamakura Dam. In two years when the construction is done there will be 50, 904 solar panels and they will generate electricity for almost 5,000 homes. This plan is created by Kyocera a company that builds solar panels. The growing interest of solar panels on land and water comes from the growth in the solar market and the decreasing cost of technology. They are also called floatovoltaics. The advantage of floatovoltaics is that they are less expensive due to cost of "land" and they take less time to build. With solar land panels they are much more expensive because you have to buy the land and it goes through a lot of natural disaster events. While floatovoltaics can reduce evaporation which is a positive thing due to droughts. 

This article is interesting to me because solar panels are a very positive and healthier way to produce electricity because it uses the sun's energy. It is very efficient. I know there are solar panels in the United States and other countries but I have never seen one and I know it is not really popular because it is somehow "expensive" and so much work. And I especially never heard of "floatovoltaics" or in other words floating solar panels. I think it is a very smart idea for people to do this.

This is important to the environment because it is more efficient and it takes less time to build. It also prevents water evaporation and I know for sure that is a good thing, especially for California, because it prevents drought. And with no drought the aquatic animals will not die. It also provides a plentiful amount of coverage to nearly 5,000 homes or more if the reservoir is larger. The government and countries should accept this idea because it is one step to a renewable resource and one step to making our planet better again. 

Resources: 

• New Solar Plants Generate Floating Green Power

Company Says It's Been Indicted for California Oil Spoil

ScrAPES#21: Company Indicted for California Oil Spill

by Richard Perez-Pena

May 17, 2016

A company is being criminally charged by Californian prosecutors for the oil leak last year; which was caused by the company's ruptured oil pipeline. The Santa Barbara County grand jury had indicted the company, Plains All American, with four felonies and 42 misdemeanors. James Buchanan, an environmental and regulatory compliance at the company is also being charged with misdemeanor. The company states that neither the company nor any its employees engaged in any criminal activities or behavior. If Plains is found guilty they could face fines up to $2.8 million.

This article interest me because I did not know who was the cause of that oil spill and that oil spill frightened me last year because I knew, before I attended Environmental Science, that any chemicals that is mixed with the planet's water or water in general is very dangerous. This is actually the first time I have heard of the court or any high authority actually taking charge of severe environmental situations like this. I believe that the company deserves to be sentenced guilty because it was their fault for the oil spill because they were the one who were supposed to make sure oil definitely does not spill into the water. 

This is important to the environment because I think the court did the right thing by indicting the Plains company. I also think the United States should take environmental hazard seriously; for example, plastics in the ocean needs to be seriously taken care of because it is just like a typical oil spill. It kills the aquatic animals, poisonous to humans because we eat fish who then eats plastics, and it is a factor of water pollution. If only the court can find a better alternative instead of plastic and then our planet will be one step to a better environment.

Resources:

• Company Indicted for California Oil Spill