Pollution on the Family Farm Threatens the Environment :: Water Polluting Essays Papers

Pollution on the Family Farm When you think of pollution you think of industrial pollution running down a river, or smoke coming out of a factory’s smokestack rising up into the environment. These are all concerns in the world today; however, in this paper will talk about pollution that hits a little closer to home. This paper will discuss about pollution on family run farms in rural America. These pollutions range from private well water contamination to fecal pollution run-off into streams by dairy and beef farms. One of the major concerns in today’s Agricultural system is the use of water, and the short supply of water. A more immediate problem is nitrate contamination in millions of private well around the country. As one can imagine most of these wells are found on private farms around the United States. Nationally 1.4 million households drink water from private wells with nitrate levels that exceed the federal drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm)( Ready, R., & Henken, K.). There is an estimated damage to a household from drinking water from a nitrate contaminated well to be $635 per year, with a total damage of almost $900 million per year to private well owners (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). Over 25% of the water used by households in the United States comes from groundwater. One of the major sources of nitrates in groundwater is caused by agricultural activities, including chemicals applied to crops and waste from livestock production (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). The main problem with livestock waste and chemicals is their tendency to diffuse in water, which means they cannot be easily contained or pinpointed to the source. According to a study by the Great Plains Agricultural Council, agricultural land is the largest contributor of non-point source pollution to natural water resources in the High Plains region and throughout the United States. In this survey they found that Nitrate-N was the most commonly detected agricultural chemical in surface and groundwater (Elrashidi, M., Mays, M., Peaslee, S., & Hooper, D.) Another topic that ties into pollution and threatens water resources is agricultural subsidies provided by the government. A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that â€Å"Agricultural subsidies threaten land and water resources and create artificial incentives to expand farm production† (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Pollution on the Family Farm Threatens the Environment :: Water Polluting Essays Papers Pollution on the Family Farm When you think of pollution you think of industrial pollution running down a river, or smoke coming out of a factory’s smokestack rising up into the environment. These are all concerns in the world today; however, in this paper will talk about pollution that hits a little closer to home. This paper will discuss about pollution on family run farms in rural America. These pollutions range from private well water contamination to fecal pollution run-off into streams by dairy and beef farms. One of the major concerns in today’s Agricultural system is the use of water, and the short supply of water. A more immediate problem is nitrate contamination in millions of private well around the country. As one can imagine most of these wells are found on private farms around the United States. Nationally 1.4 million households drink water from private wells with nitrate levels that exceed the federal drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm)( Ready, R., & Henken, K.). There is an estimated damage to a household from drinking water from a nitrate contaminated well to be $635 per year, with a total damage of almost $900 million per year to private well owners (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). Over 25% of the water used by households in the United States comes from groundwater. One of the major sources of nitrates in groundwater is caused by agricultural activities, including chemicals applied to crops and waste from livestock production (Ready, R., & Henken, K.). The main problem with livestock waste and chemicals is their tendency to diffuse in water, which means they cannot be easily contained or pinpointed to the source. According to a study by the Great Plains Agricultural Council, agricultural land is the largest contributor of non-point source pollution to natural water resources in the High Plains region and throughout the United States. In this survey they found that Nitrate-N was the most commonly detected agricultural chemical in surface and groundwater (Elrashidi, M., Mays, M., Peaslee, S., & Hooper, D.) Another topic that ties into pollution and threatens water resources is agricultural subsidies provided by the government. A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that â€Å"Agricultural subsidies threaten land and water resources and create artificial incentives to expand farm production† (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Against Space Program Funding Essay

Opening Statement: The government uses approximately 17.6 billion dollars of the taxpayers money to fund NASA every year. We shouldn’t be funding NASA that money when our economy is the worst it’s been since the Great Depression; we need to focus and spend our money on the problems here on Earth. NASA hasn’t done anything significant in space in years. And it’s incredibly risky and dangerous going up there. Arguments: 1)Our economy is the worst it’s been since the Great Depression, why are we even considering funding NASA 17.6 billion dollars when we have big problems here?! Barack Obama, our soon to be President, agrees. We elected him so he must be doing something right with the changes he wants to make. Millions of Americans die from preventable diseases all because they don’t have healthcare, and millions more go to bed hungry at night because they can’t afford to eat. If we took that 17 billion dollars and used to help people get health insurance at least our world would be a better place. Also, global warming & issues like that are happening. If those NASA scientists used their knowledge to figure out a way to better help the earth instead of space, we’d be so much better off. 2)NASA hasn’t made any kind of discovery in recent years that’s been of any kind of use to us. Sure, finding out Pluto doesn’t really count as a planet is cool and all, but how does that help us in anyway?! It doesn’t make a difference if we know how many planets there are right now, what matters is that we use our money to help stop destroying the Earth & try to fix the damage we’ve done. It’s great that we have the technology and skills to travel into space, but it’s becoming unaffordable and we have bigger expenses on our hands. 3)Its incredibly risky and dangerous traveling to space. Remember the space shuttle Columbia tragedy? Also, the radiation on Earth and Space is very different and the radiation in space can cause damage to human cells and possibly cancer. Osteoperosis is another risk. Because of microgravity, bones become brittle and a full recovery when arriving back on Earth may not occur. Space travel can also cause temporary and sometimes permanent hearing loss. And the biggest danger while in space? The debris that is constantly orbiting earth  travels at high speeds and can be deadly if collided with. Closing Statement: Before we continue any more exploration in space, we need to focus on exploring the ways we can help the Earth. We don’t need to spend 17 billion on NASA to find out facts that aren’t of great importance, to put the astronauts and people on the launch site in danger, and when we have so much work to do on Earth. The money will be better spent on fixing the economy and making the Earth a better place.

Poverty Of The Great Depression - 2381 Words

Poverty in the Great Depression Do you want to live in a dictatorship? During the Great Depression President Franklin D. Roosevelt said â€Å"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made of†. The Great Depression in the United States began after the stock market crash of October 1929 because Americans gambled on the stock market with money they didn’t really have and when the prices of stocks started to drop panicked investors tried to bail out. Investors dumped shares. A record 12.9 million shares was traded on October 24, 1929, â€Å"Black Thursday†, then five days later on October 29, 1929, â€Å"Black Tuesday†, 16 million†¦show more content†¦The New Deal stabilized banking, created employment and created a support system for the needy. The New Deal also created Federal agencies which gave Americans hope and faith in a government of social justice. From the New Deal came the Banking Act of 1933, which stabilized banks by guaranteeing Americans that their deposits were safe as the Federal government would insure it via the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). Agencies to protect employment was created, such as: the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration; along with regulatory agencies like the Securities Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Administration, the National Labor Relations Board, the Civil Aeronautics Authority, and the Federal Communications Commission. The New Deal created the Social Security Act, giving rise to the Social Security Administration which provided pensions to the old, and support to dependent children and the disabled. The Great Depression brought about the need for leadership because of the widespread poverty being experienced by the American people. People were unemployed, hungry and homeless, with many also l osing their life savings due to the large number of banks that failed. Millions of people across the United States lost their jobs, leading to losses of homes. It was estimated that 20%-25% (1 in 4) persons