Globalism &

The Ecosystem: 1990-1994

By Tracy Crothers

Things to

UnderstandAll of the world’s inhabitants

and their environments come

together to make up the global ecosystem.

(Fiero, 157-159)

Leisure: 20th Anniversary of

Earth Day•This was in 1990.•There were 140 nations celebrating, but this was just the beginning of nations coming together for nature.

(EHT: 1990-1999)

Science: The Clean Air Act Amendments of

1990•President Bush signed the bill on

November 15th

•lots of regulations to coerce and promote the reduction of pollution by industry

•resulted in many technological advancements that reduce emissions and the 3 main problems

(Environmental Protection

Agency)

Leisure: “Y.E.S!” Organization for

Kids•Youth for Environmental Sanity

•Started in 1990 by 2 teenagers

•For a “thriving, sustainable life for all”

•Long serving organization to help pull kids into caring about nature

(20 Years of

Transformation)

Architecture: Austin Energy Green Building

•Began in 1991, first sustainable building association in the U.S.

•won an award at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit

(Austin Energy)

Event: United Nations 1992 Earth

Summit •June 3-14 in Brazil

•172 governments participated

•Discussed different methods of

development, industry, and laws to help

keep the world’s ecosystem healthy

•Helped changed the attitudes of people

around the world – highly publicized.

(UN Conference on Environment and Development)

Literature: The Diversity of Life

•sociobiologist Edward Osborn Wilson - 1992

•early evolutionary parallels & “scientific humanism”

(Fiero 157) (E.O. Wilson Biography)

Architecture: Greening of the

Whitehouse•1993 – President Bill Clinton

•daylighting & solar heating

•Energy & water efficient devices

•Example for more sustainable buildings

(Greening Status Project Report)

Event: 1993 Storm of the Century

•March 12-15

•everything from snow storms to storm surges and tornadoes

•entire eastern coast of N. America - all airports shut down for days

•result- 4th costliest storm in U.S. history, impact on 26 states, and at least half of the U.S. population

(The Storm of the Century)

Science: Biosphere 2

•1991-1993, using ecology to make

the biomes the most similar to real

life

•4 men, 4 women, 3,800 different

plants and animals, 7 different

biomes

•Still the longest closed system

human experiment (6 months)(Biosphere 2 Engineering and Scientific Accomplishments)

Event:1994 Northridge Earthquake

•January 17 - most costly quake in U.S. history at a magnitude of 6.7

•Epicenter in Northridge, highly populated urban area

•Los Angeles felt aftershocks for weeks during recovery, along with areas like the San Fernando Valley around them

(Northridge Earthquake)

(U.S.G.S. Response to an Urban Earthquake)

Conclusion:“Environmentalists” and

some others did put a lot of effort into protecting the world and nature, but it was still possible for the world to do even better, for itself.

Works CitedAustin Energy. Leading the Transformation of the Building Industry to a Sustainable Future. Austin Energy Green Building. Web. 18

July 2011.

<https://my.austinenergy.com/wps/portal/aegb/aegb/home/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gLAwMDZydDRwP3E

G8XA09nywBD55AwYyM_Y_1wkA48Kgwh8gY4gKOBvp9Hfm6qfkF2dpqjo6IiAFSVM1o!/dl3/d3/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/>.

 "Biosphere 2 Scientific and Engineering Accomplishments." Biosphere Foundation. Biosphere Foundation. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www.biospherefoundation.org/>.

“EHT:1990-1999." Environmental History Timeline. Radford University. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www.radford.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/11nineties.html>.

Environmental Protection Agency. "The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990." The Clean Air Act. US Environmental Protection

Agency, 19 Dec. 2008. Web. 18 July 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/caaa_overview.html>.

"E.O. Wilson Biography." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Academy of Achievement, 11 Dec. 2007. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wil2bio-1>.

 

Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

"Greening Project Status Report: The White House." EERE: EERE Server Maintenance. U.S. Department of Energy, Apr. 2001. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/>.

"Northridge Earthquake." American Red Cross: Los Angeles Region. American Red Cross, 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://redcrossla.org/news/northridge-earthquake-jan-17-1994-remembered-as-the-day-the-earth-moved>.

 "The Storm of the Century." National Severe Storms Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/winter/century.html>.

“Twenty Years of Transformation." Yes! Web. 18 July 2011. <http://www.yesworld.org/>.

"UN Conference on Environment and Development." It's Your World. United Nations, 23 May 1997. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html>.

 "USGS Response to an Urban Earthquake -- Northridge ‘94." USGS Publications Warehouse. U.S. Geological Survey, 16 Nov. 2005. Web. 18 July 2011.

<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1996/ofr-96-0263/introduc.htm>.

Works Cited