Can you imagine living without air conditioning during summer seasons in Taiwan? I can't. But this is what we might have to face in the future!
We watched a movie called "End of Suburbia" in class last week. The movie says that suburbia is a false promise because as this kind of life-style expands, more energy and resources are needed. There are also many issues being discussed in the movie: over consuming, oil and natural resource depletion, energy depletion, and etc. The pollutions suburban life-style create are just a tip of an iceburg. I think these problems occur not just in the US, but also the world. Not only Suburban life-style pose threat to the environment, but the overall life-style we have now needs to be changed to suit what our earth can sustain.
I lived in Long Island (two hours outside of NY City) when I was back in the US. The place I lived was not necessarily a suburb, however, it still requires a lot of car driving to get to buy goods. Although there are few smaller grocery markets around my house, but if you want to shop for some new clothes or things you would not normally get in a small grocery stores, you'll need to drive for at least thirty minutes. I know that US is a big country; however, I questioned why my father have to drive so far to get what we need for daily life.
The difference between the US and Taiwan, in regard of shopping, is that it is very convenient to buy things in Taiwan. Taiwan is a small country with crowded population. People in Taiwan does not need to drive for a long time before reaching a restaurant or shopping mall.
However, when talking about transportation, Taiwan has some similarities with the suburban life style in the US. Taiwanese people relies on scooters a lot because it's very convenient. One can get around the town with a scooter very easily and they are not too expensive. Massive scooter population pollutes the air. However, Taipei and Kaohsiung, the two cities, provide more developed and convenient public transportation system. With well-designed public transportation system, people will have less chance to drive their own cars. Another really good example would be Tokyo City, Japan.
In now days, pretty much everything we buy were manufactured and/or shipped from another city or another country. For example, we've read about how a can of coke was made, where did the materials came from, and etc. This is a big problem because long-distance shipping requires a lot of energy and leaves massive amount of ecological footprints. Unfortunately, this is hard to change the situation because we all want things with cheaper prices. I totally agree that we must have more small-sized and localized retail stores!
This whole movie talks about sustainability. The effects are never one-sided. Every impact we made will influence the economy, the society, and the environment--- it's a chain reaction.
Although it is up to us to decide how we want to use the resources; however, we also need to be thinking about the next generation, and next, and next...
Like Al Gore said "we have entered a period of consequence." If we do not try our best to fix the problem, we will be doomed.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Is 'organic' really organic?
Eugene and I did a presentation on sustainable business on an organic market called "Li-Rhun" a month ago. Li-Rhun do seem like a very organic market to me; however, after reading "Big Organic", an excerpt from "The Omnivore's Dilemma", I start to question whether organic businesses are really organic.
The word 'organic' came from the countryside of California in 1969. This organic movement soon disseminated across the country . Although the organic movement faced a big failure called "Alar Scare" in 1990s, it soon recovered. Many big companies started to sell organic produces. They turned organic farming/gardening into an organic business, and then to the organic industry we now see. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also steppe in to try to set a standards for 'organic'. The process of setting a standard took a decade long; however, the standard is, in fact, pointless.
The USDA said, to raise organic animals, as long as animals have "access to outdoor/pasture", it is defined organic. This definition is vague and meaningless because people can find loopholes and break this standard very easily. I find a similarity between the standard USDA set up and the Mark-to-Market strategy Enron had. The Mark-to-Market strategy also has many loopholes that the CEO can make false claims easily.
'Organic' was originally designed to feed people in a way that is closer to nature. Unfortunately, it became unsustainable once the businesses stepped in. The reading defined 'unsustainable' as "sooner or later it must collapse" and I find this parallel to Enron's failure. Enron was originally a successful business, however, the temptation of profits blindfolded their eyes. This is similar to the big business that stepped into organic farming. In both cases, the true meaning of organic and the original goal of Enron were mislead to a devastating dead-end.
I think that the whole process of organic farming turned into organic industry, is not out of will. The reason why farmers cooperated with super markets or other larger businesses is because there is a huge demand from the consumers. In order to suite the need of the markets, some farms choose to be industrialized. If the farmers of small farms does not find new ways to sell their product, they'll face a danger of dying out. Oppositely, Enron turned out to be so avaricious was out of their own will . No outside force was really pushing them to become greedy or start lying to the others. Enron could still be a good business even if it faces some outside pressure or expectations.
This reading really got me start questioning whether organic is organic. Although the growing process of vegetables, fruits, and other produces can be organic, but how about food processing and distribution? It takes a lot of energy resources to pack and ship the products to all over the country, or even the whole world. I think the problem is because organic farms are only centered in one area. In the reading, organic farms in California are responsible a big percentage of organic produces in the US. Therefore, it requires a lot of long-distance shipping from California to other states.
I think the problem of overuse of energy can be alleviated if the farms are more localized. However, it is a challenge for big businesses to work with small, local farms. This is a problem that all the state governments, even the whole world, need to work on.
The word 'organic' came from the countryside of California in 1969. This organic movement soon disseminated across the country . Although the organic movement faced a big failure called "Alar Scare" in 1990s, it soon recovered. Many big companies started to sell organic produces. They turned organic farming/gardening into an organic business, and then to the organic industry we now see. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also steppe in to try to set a standards for 'organic'. The process of setting a standard took a decade long; however, the standard is, in fact, pointless.
The USDA said, to raise organic animals, as long as animals have "access to outdoor/pasture", it is defined organic. This definition is vague and meaningless because people can find loopholes and break this standard very easily. I find a similarity between the standard USDA set up and the Mark-to-Market strategy Enron had. The Mark-to-Market strategy also has many loopholes that the CEO can make false claims easily.
'Organic' was originally designed to feed people in a way that is closer to nature. Unfortunately, it became unsustainable once the businesses stepped in. The reading defined 'unsustainable' as "sooner or later it must collapse" and I find this parallel to Enron's failure. Enron was originally a successful business, however, the temptation of profits blindfolded their eyes. This is similar to the big business that stepped into organic farming. In both cases, the true meaning of organic and the original goal of Enron were mislead to a devastating dead-end.
I think that the whole process of organic farming turned into organic industry, is not out of will. The reason why farmers cooperated with super markets or other larger businesses is because there is a huge demand from the consumers. In order to suite the need of the markets, some farms choose to be industrialized. If the farmers of small farms does not find new ways to sell their product, they'll face a danger of dying out. Oppositely, Enron turned out to be so avaricious was out of their own will . No outside force was really pushing them to become greedy or start lying to the others. Enron could still be a good business even if it faces some outside pressure or expectations.
This reading really got me start questioning whether organic is organic. Although the growing process of vegetables, fruits, and other produces can be organic, but how about food processing and distribution? It takes a lot of energy resources to pack and ship the products to all over the country, or even the whole world. I think the problem is because organic farms are only centered in one area. In the reading, organic farms in California are responsible a big percentage of organic produces in the US. Therefore, it requires a lot of long-distance shipping from California to other states.
I think the problem of overuse of energy can be alleviated if the farms are more localized. However, it is a challenge for big businesses to work with small, local farms. This is a problem that all the state governments, even the whole world, need to work on.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Internship Learning Experience Reflection 1
Roxanne and I are currently helping Sir Speedy, a print and design company, to research information about how to make its business green. The main reason for doing this is to educate not only the people in print and design industries, but also the cooperating units and clients.
We've been at our internship for eight times since October 8th. My main job for the first four times was to help my mentor, Roma, to compile a list of green-papers, research Chinese information online and translate an English pamphlet into Chinese. I have to say that I was quite nervous for the first few times there because I knew nothing about this print and design industry. I had some difficulties with translating some technical terms into Chinese. However, I was a "problem solver" because I tried my best to research anything I can find. What I got out of this translation experience is that I feel very privileged to be able to read and write in Chinese fluently. Since China is becoming a competitive country in the world, I realized how this can be my greatest benefit for future.
For the fifth and sixth time, Roxanne and I went of to a meeting with the paper vendor. We sat down with the vendor and chatted about the future market of green paper alternatives, etc. The boss of the paper company invited us to join a lunch with him and paid the money for us. It was the first time ever that I feel like I'm an office worker who's attending the meeting ever! I also reported the information I got to Roma. However, we did not meet the expectation, so I got on the phone to try to get the missing information from the paper vendor. Overall, it was a fresh experience!
Roxanne and I did some actual designs for the clients on the seventh and eighth time. I was quite excited because I got to learn how to use designing programs (eg: InDesign and Illustrator) other than Photoshop.
Speaking of doing designs for clients, Roma told us that the designs they created will eventually belong to the client, not themselves. This is the reality of this industry. For me, I can totally understand this "reality"; however, I sometimes do not like the feeling of my art work being owned by someone else. If I ever get into this business one day, I would, perhaps, have to adjust my mind-set to get myself ready to accept this reality.
We've been at our internship for eight times since October 8th. My main job for the first four times was to help my mentor, Roma, to compile a list of green-papers, research Chinese information online and translate an English pamphlet into Chinese. I have to say that I was quite nervous for the first few times there because I knew nothing about this print and design industry. I had some difficulties with translating some technical terms into Chinese. However, I was a "problem solver" because I tried my best to research anything I can find. What I got out of this translation experience is that I feel very privileged to be able to read and write in Chinese fluently. Since China is becoming a competitive country in the world, I realized how this can be my greatest benefit for future.
For the fifth and sixth time, Roxanne and I went of to a meeting with the paper vendor. We sat down with the vendor and chatted about the future market of green paper alternatives, etc. The boss of the paper company invited us to join a lunch with him and paid the money for us. It was the first time ever that I feel like I'm an office worker who's attending the meeting ever! I also reported the information I got to Roma. However, we did not meet the expectation, so I got on the phone to try to get the missing information from the paper vendor. Overall, it was a fresh experience!
Roxanne and I did some actual designs for the clients on the seventh and eighth time. I was quite excited because I got to learn how to use designing programs (eg: InDesign and Illustrator) other than Photoshop.
Speaking of doing designs for clients, Roma told us that the designs they created will eventually belong to the client, not themselves. This is the reality of this industry. For me, I can totally understand this "reality"; however, I sometimes do not like the feeling of my art work being owned by someone else. If I ever get into this business one day, I would, perhaps, have to adjust my mind-set to get myself ready to accept this reality.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Blood, Sweat, and Tee-shirts BBC - Reflection
This clip recalls what the situation was like back in Industrial Revolution. The working condition in India is not that sever as it was back then, still, it's not a condition that I would call "humane". We only see the pretty surface of different things, but are we really progressing on the "inside"?!
Although I've only watched a short part of this BBC documentary, I can tell that the condition in the factory is really harsh. It is hard to me to imagine being in such situation. If I am one of the British girl, I would probably have a hard time there too.
I can relate this BBC documentary with a film about Walmart that we watched during Global Ethics class last year. In the movie, there is one part about Chinese labors working in cloth-manufacturing factory. The clothes will be shipped to Walmart stores mainly in the US. The condition of the workers are also bad. One of the girl who was being interviewed said that they must live in a small, crowded dorm and work overtime most of the time.
Although I've only watched a short part of this BBC documentary, I can tell that the condition in the factory is really harsh. It is hard to me to imagine being in such situation. If I am one of the British girl, I would probably have a hard time there too.
I can relate this BBC documentary with a film about Walmart that we watched during Global Ethics class last year. In the movie, there is one part about Chinese labors working in cloth-manufacturing factory. The clothes will be shipped to Walmart stores mainly in the US. The condition of the workers are also bad. One of the girl who was being interviewed said that they must live in a small, crowded dorm and work overtime most of the time.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Enron Bankruptcy - Reflection
We watched the movie of Enron Scandal on Tuesday during Global Ethics class. I have to say, humans, indeed, can have really nasty minds. It is quite incredible to see how Lay, Skilling, Fastow, and other shareholders can be so smart at manipulating the truth; however, they used their smartness in the wrong way. This is also why they were destined to fail, sooner or later.
I still remember what Ishmael said about Takers being greedy and their ultimate goal is to control the whole universe. In Enron's case, the company itself is a huge Taker. The ultimate reasons of why they bankrupted are because of pride, arrogance, intolerance, and greed. They will do whatever they need to do to make profits. The part of Enron shutting down electric power in California struck me the most. Enron shut down the electric power in California to make profits while many Californians suffered because of Enron. Also, and the conversation between two investors is simply nasty! Despite all the swear words in their conversation, I felt very disgusted by their attitude... How can people say such things like that? How can people make profits out of people's suffrage without feeling guilty or ashamed? They must know their actions are unethical, however, they did not stop it. There was no way for them to stop the actions because of greed.
I believe the Enron Scandal put businesses in the US and around the world on alert. Under free trade marketing, there is only agreements but not laws. It is easier to manipulate details under those agreements. Those agreements are like the Law of Aerodynamics. It is important for businesses to follow the Law of Aerodynamics to have a fair play in trade markets. Or else, the business will crash like a plane that is not made according to the Law of Aerodynamics.
So, how did the trail go in 2006? What are some effects of this bankruptcy?
- Ken Lay guilty of all six counts against him; Judge Sim Lake finds Lay guilty of four counts in separate personal banking fraud trial. The jury finds Jeff Skilling guilty 19 of the 28 counts against him. Ken Lay died of a sudden heart attack on July 5, 2006 before the final sentence was made. (source)
- Enron sold its last business, Prisma Energy, in 2006. In early 2007, it changed its name to Enron Creditors Recovery Corporation. Its goal is to pay off the old Enron's remaining creditors and wind up Enron's affairs. (source)
- Both Wall Street Journal and Business Week calculated the direct loss of Enron bankruptcy: about 40billion and 90 billion USD. The loss is equal to nine times the loss of 911 Terrorist Attack (about 10 billion). The impact is not only limited to economical aspect, but also damaged US investor's confidence.
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Just another thought of my own: the Enron case made me think of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. Although the Lehman Brothers bankrupted because of mortgage crises; however, it still has huge impact on the economy around the world. Over 25,000 employees of Lehman Brothers became unemployed. I felt unbelievable that a leading company like Lehman and Enron can collapse in only a short period of time! Both of them are indeed human tragedies.
Monday, November 17, 2008
DongMen Mall Choreography Reflection
1. How did the site of DongMen alter the choreography that you created in the classroom?
- Originally, our group was going to do movements under the cloth line because we thought we could hang some clothes there. Unfortunately, the cloth line is unreachable, therefore we just did our movements on the flat ground. We also made some changes to our movements. We did the whole choreography without clothes hanging, and we changed the jumping-around to crawling on the ground because it would look better.
2. Now that you know this site better; If you were to go back to Dongmen what would you add or subtract from your choreography to make it stronger?
- I actually liked our movements. If possible, I would change the background to another wall that was at the rooftop. The wall we used as background was gray, but the other wall has some creepy rusty effects that might make our choreography stronger.
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In response to Ms. Amy's Comment:
- The Mall gave me a abandoned, isolated, and creepy feeling. I was scared by a passing cat while walking on the corridor. It was quite surprising to see many people are still living in it. Perhaps it's because those people don't have money to move to a new house or simply because it's their home. If I were the mayor of Hsinchu, I would allow people open shops and live inside. I would fix the whole building, or at least clean up the building so people living inside can have a better living environment.
- Originally, our group was going to do movements under the cloth line because we thought we could hang some clothes there. Unfortunately, the cloth line is unreachable, therefore we just did our movements on the flat ground. We also made some changes to our movements. We did the whole choreography without clothes hanging, and we changed the jumping-around to crawling on the ground because it would look better.
2. Now that you know this site better; If you were to go back to Dongmen what would you add or subtract from your choreography to make it stronger?
- I actually liked our movements. If possible, I would change the background to another wall that was at the rooftop. The wall we used as background was gray, but the other wall has some creepy rusty effects that might make our choreography stronger.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In response to Ms. Amy's Comment:
- The Mall gave me a abandoned, isolated, and creepy feeling. I was scared by a passing cat while walking on the corridor. It was quite surprising to see many people are still living in it. Perhaps it's because those people don't have money to move to a new house or simply because it's their home. If I were the mayor of Hsinchu, I would allow people open shops and live inside. I would fix the whole building, or at least clean up the building so people living inside can have a better living environment.
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