Comments

Hi Patrick. I really enjoyed reading this post, and the rest of you argument obviously. I like how you included the image and the hyperlink, your article became interactive and really enjoyable to read.

Your last stanza seems to be a bit unsure however, with your statement " I guess the point.." From those lines I felt a little uncertain about your argument. You raised a good point at the end, but I think you should have done more imperatively or with a bit more certainly. For example you could have said. " In this day and age, where kids can get their hands on practically anything, parents need to be playing a more vital role in monitoring what their children or watching or interacting with.

Just a thought, but all in all I found your article interested, especially because you kept your reader involved right throughout.

Elsie this is a really awesome topic to argue over. Like Hannah says, it is a really relevant topic in today's world, one that many people choose to ignore, or one that hasn't really gained enough attention. Personally I think this issue is a lot bigger than you have laid out. The issue of growing up could have been given more attention, or even the wish to please our parents. Kids often are a product of there parents, but most times kids will at some point go through some form of 'rebellion' against their parents and what they believe in. However some kids do not get that opportunity, perhaps they live in homes where there parents trap them in, or force them into conformity via threats, or abuse. This is really important, and I think people on the outside should be doing more for kids as unfortunate as them.

Hi leigh, good on for picking such a difficult topic. Personally I believe women should have the choice of aborting, but for obvious reasons I am uncomfortable with the thought of killing the chance of a beautiful life. But for this reason your argument was comforting to read, and you have actually successfully managed to smooth over my own ideas surrounding abortion so now I'm not as uncomfortable with the whole idea. 

I love how you chose to lay out your argument. It was simple, and I don't know if you did this intentionally but its simplified the argument in a good way. It was almost as if you were saying to us (through the layout) ' look this really isn't a difficult issue'. Thats awesome that you could manage that. This caught my attention even before I read your article, so you can imagine how involved I was when reading through it!

I love how you layout your arguments with titles to each section, I love how you use points. Really inspirational argument, god on you for getting your honest thoughts on the page so well, I may not agree with everything you said, but two peoples ideas are never the same regardless. 

Hi Gemma good use of imagery in here. I like your smoke rings. They seem to be a bit inappropriate though don't you think? I mean if your trying to convince people to legalise a drug, don't show a hot red head blowing smoke rings, seriously. At least you have the complete opposite in your argument, its all pretty coherent, but I can't help but think that you only want marijuana to be legalised so you can smoke up like the red head in the background. I'm on your buzz by the way, but I think I would have been a bit more honest in my opinion piece. It may sound ridiculous but a solid start would have been 'I love to smoke weed' go from there, we all know it's true, the only people who don't are the people who are too scared to give it a go. You know it's not like smoking, or drinking alcohol, or even caffeine. I'd say its a lot better than all of those, then get into some little factoids for your readers. Regardless I loved reading you article, obviously something that we all agree on.

14 May 2013 18:21

Hi Davy, ok you may hate me but here goes. I absolutely agree with all the points you have raised here. I'll even go so far to say that music piracy really is bad for the respective artists. BUT I will still illegally download music, maybe because I'm selfish, but I don't believe in intellectual property. Let me explain, first of all an artist comes up with a song, a video, or a piece or art. Does that immediately make it his or her intellectual property. I think no, and I think in these days that there is no such thing. People say ideas are all around us, but really your ideas are inspired by other peoples, and other experiences. Let me ask you have you ever had an original thought, that no one else has thought of before. So I think no one has the right to put a price on thought, it should be free for the world to here. Maybe if people could stop thinking about money for a minute, and begin thinking about how their music could be helping people all around the world. I think that is pretty special.

Summary

The issue of how we treat our earth is extremely understated. Most people realise that there are better alternatives to chemical and intensive farming, myself included obviously. I've always believed in living in harmony with my surroundings, however belief and action are two different things. I can accept that chemical farming has benefits, especially in places of extreme poverty, drought or infertile land. I will even go so far to say that the introduction of chemical farming has improved millions of lives. Farms are able to produce crops on a massive level and feed thousands of mouths at a relatively cheap price. However in New Zealand, where our land is fertile and abundant,  we do have the opportunity to practice environmentally friendly methods. We have the opportunity to improve our country. We have the opportunity to improve our lives, and future generations. I think its time we took that opportunity, and I think it's absolutely imperative that we do soon.
Finally I would like to discuss the issue of money. People are under the illusion that chemical farming is vastly cheaper and for that reason more feasible. This is not entirely true, as in the long run organic farming can become sustainable and cost free. I won't lie to you; you will need to put in a lot of effort into organic farming. You will need to make your own organic fertilizer, instead of  going down to the store to buy some chemicals. You will need to research companion farming, construct compost bins, make organic herbicides, watch the land, research what grows best and so on. But as the old saying goes you won't gain a harvest if you don't sow seeds.
It's the choices we make that define us. Future generations will only benefit from our actions today, we must remember that.

Organic Farming

More people need to be practicing organic farming methods. At the most basic level organic farming produces crops or meat without the use of synthetic chemicals or pesticides, with the aim of ensuring no harmful residues are present on the foods. Peoplewho use organic methods believe that organic farming works in harmony withnature rather than against it. This involves using several techniques to achieve good crop yields without harming the natural environment or the people who live and work in it.Organic farming works in a similar fashion to chemical farming. They both have to build and keep good soil structure and fertility. They both have to control pest, disease and weeds.  Many organic farmers are also cautious of water management and animal husbandry. The way each achieve this differ considerably.

Environmental implications of organics and pesticides 

Organic methods include maintenance and improvement of soil quality, prevention of ground and surface water contamination, greenhouse gas reduction, encouragement of biodiversity and conservation of water and energy. Organic practices integrate  natural methods such as mulching, plant diversity, native and adapted plants, crop rotation and the introduction of beneficial insects to control pests without synthetic pesticides.Synthetic pesticides help make definitive high crop yields. While effective in achieving this objective, pesticides contaminate soil, air, ground and surface water, as well as the plants and animals that come in to contact with these contaminated sources. Freshwater and marine organisms are susceptible to pesticides through agricultural runoff.Pesticides also reduce soil fertility (necessitating the further use ofsynthetic fertilizers) and can travel far from the original source,contaminating water and air hundreds of miles from the location of application.So although pesticides can give higher yields, there are little other benefits from using chemicals such as these. Furthermore many organic practitioners found that by using organic pesticides they managed to increase the soil’s fertility naturally without having to rely on chemicals. After some crop rotations many farmers found that their yields were either matching or surpassing that of their previous chemically farmed produce.

Health implications of organics and pesticides

Although a subject of particular debate, many recent findings show that organic food is healthier than conventionally grown food. According to the USDA, an extensive European Union-funded study found that organically grown foods contain more beneficial compounds, such as thevitamins and antioxidants needed to combat many diseases. Organic milk, meat and eggs are regulated to ensure they are free of hormones administered to conventional livestock and poultry.Pesticides affect human health in three ways: through skin contact, inhalation and ingestion. Acute and long-term exposure to pesticides may cause serious health issues for farmers who apply them. Thelarge majority of other people are affected by drinking contaminated water andeating contaminated marine life. Pesticides have been linked to neurological disorders, endocrine and reproductive disorders, immune process deficiencies and cancer. According to the World Health Organization, acute pesticide poisoning (APP) is responsible for significant annual mortality indeveloping nations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEwrL4S0VVU

Other things to consider

Though organic farming methods offer a number of environmental benefits, it is a time consuming process that often results in smaller yields to chemical crops.  Also an organic apple shipped across the world creates a different set of environmental problems. Locally grown food (particularly organic) is the key to sustainable food production.

References

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Library: Should I Purchase Organic Food?
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture: Economic Research Service: Environmental Interactions With Agricultural Production
3. Food and Agriculture Organization: Pesticides as Water Pollutants
4. World Health Organization: Acute Pesticide Poisoning
5. U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic: Nutrition Issues for Organic Food

Infographic to get us all thinking...

Sources of varying degrees

A little list of possible sources:

Crop Life America. (1933). Benefits of chemicals. Retrieved from; http://www.croplifeamerica.org/crop-protection/benefits

Science Direct. (1990). The crop yield gap between organic and conventional agriculture. Retrieved from; http://www.croplifeamerica.org/crop-protection/benefits

Whole Foods Market. (1995). Principles of Organic Farming. Retrieved from; http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/organic-farming/principles-organic-farming

Global Research. (2001). Organic farming is cost effective. Retrieved from; http://www.globalresearch.ca/philippines-organic-farming-is-cost-effective/24356

Union of Concerned Scientists. (1969). Hidden costs of industrial agriculture. Retrieved from; http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/industrial-agriculture/hidden-costs-of-industrial.html

Ministry For the Environment. (2009). 25 step toward sustainability. Retrieved from; http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/sus-dev/25-steps-towards-sustainability/index.html

Portable Farms. (2006). Comparison between Chemical and Organic farming methods. Retrieved from; http://portablefarms.com/2012/organic-vs-chemical/

Global Issues. (1998). Biodiversity. Retrieved from; http://www.globalissues.org/issue/169/biodiversity

Terranatue. (2003). Environmental Issues. Retrieved from; http://www.terranature.org/environmentalissues.htm

Ecology Global Network. (2000). Atomospheric CO2 poised to exceed 400PPM. Retrieved from;
http://www.ecology.com/2013/05/06/co2-poised-to-exceed-400-ppm/

http://permacultureprinciples.com/ 
an healthy alternative to the way we think. An intriguing argument that certainly appeals to me, can I convince others that this is such a good way to live.

http://www.permaculture.org.nz/ permaculture in action in New Zealand.


 http://www.earthtimes.org/ a sight detailing everything from conservation, climate, health, nature, politics and even 'going green.'

http://efs.tki.org.nz/ a New Zealand website detailing the issue of sustainability, and how crucial it is to New Zealand's future.



http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/ detailing eco-systems, definitions, and how their health can decay when chemicals come into play.


http://www.organicnz.org.nz/magazine another New Zealand specific source and online magazine with a few sources that could be interesting to pursue.

http://www.sustainabilitynz.org/ website dealing with issues centered in New Zealand; genetic modification, climate change and nano technology. The facts about Gene Modification seem very interesting; may look into this a little more?

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/168/environmental-issues just a website detailing the environmental issues we are dealing with as a result of our actions.