Sam Ziemba: Assigned Class Reading 1: Chapter 8

   This chapter discussed the growth and decline of populations and urbanization. What fascinated me the most is the lower environmental footprint of those in urban areas. Oftentimes, when I think of a city, I picture bumper-to-bumper traffic, factory smog, and built-up skyscrapers, with no greenery in sight. However, this chapter brings up the point that many of the individuals there are actually more environmentally- friendly (whether they realize it or not). Public transportation, bikes, and walking are the most common transportation, and many do not have cars in these major cities. Apartments are more common, taking up much less space and energy than the mass-produced mini-mansions we see in suburban areas. There isn't the overuse of water and fertilizers to maintain the perfect, green lawn that is somehow associated with the “American dream”. Although these cities are obviously not pollution-free, from reading, I became more aware that the major problems lie in our day-to-day lives. It is useless to point the blame on only the major cities and factories for pollution, we must acknowledge the problems in our lifestyles that add up and contribute to the bigger problem. I found this chapter to be very interesting and brought up points that I had not considered.