Essay 2 (project)

How Stuff Work

 

Introduction

 

The main goal of the story is to direct the attention of people to the process stages of the materials economy in which a lot of materials are consumed and a lot of wastes are disposed. The report will show about the process stages of the materials economy and will explain about materials process in more detail. In matter of fact, this system is not working efficiently. There are a lot of materials wasted and effects our environment and people. Also the report will include the consumerism in the UAE.

 

Extraction

 

The first step of the material process starts with extraction. Extraction is the process of releasing resources or valuable materials which are found on the surface of earth or which are found beneath the layers of earth. The resources are varied. Too much stuff is extracted with no need to them. “About one thirds of the world's resource base has been consumed in the last decade of the twentieth century..."(Downes, 2009). In the Amazon, 2000 trees are lost every one minute. In addition, "80% of the planet’s original forests are gone because of the excessive extractions. If people stay extracted stuff, resources are going to disappear...”( Story of Stuff (Summary & Review).2008)

 

Production

 

The second part of this process is called production. Production is the process of using energy and other resources to produce or manufacture products. Toxic chemicals are also mixed with natural resources to produce products such as computer peripherals. These products contain Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) which are very super toxic to brains and other organs of body. In the process of production, a lot of pollutants and toxic chemicals are released to the environment to cause environmental pollution. "It was found that pollution in the processes of production led to emitting of more than 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals a year..." (Downs, 2009). When more products are produced, the erosion of environment will increase and people will have to live and work in toxic environment

 

Distribution

The third part of this process is called distribution. It is the act of distributing or portioning something out. Distribution also refers to externalizing the costs of products. Externalizing the costs means using someone else money to pay for products in order to make it cheap. For example, the cost of radio is $4.99. This cost is reached by using kids in the Congo to pay for their future. The loss of natural resource, the loss of clean air and the increasing of health problems such as asthma and cancer rates are included in the cost of products. (Kenin, 2010).

 

Consumption

The fourth and the major part of the process is consumption. It is the process of consuming resources and products.  Consumption is the heart of the process since people consume too much stuff over their needs. The excessive consumption is the reason that raised the attention of Annie Leonard to write the story of stuff. Planned Obsolescence pushes people to consume other products. Moreover, the advertisement participates in consumerism and overconsumption through Perceived Obsolescence. Advertisements convince people to throw away stuff that is still perfectly useful (Percy, B).

 

Disposal

The last step of the process is disposal. It is the process of getting rid of used products and goods. Disposal is the process of sending away stuff or wastes in landfill or in garbage.  The disposal of stuff is the main cause of air, land and water pollution. Anne directs the attention to the use of idea which calls for recycling, reducing and reusing in order to keep the environment clean (Haas, 2011).

 

Consumerism in the UAE

Consumerism is very high in the UAE. The UAE people are wealthy and therefore they consume too much. They have pressures to spend more money on buying a lot of products. The advertisements affect on their consuming behavior. Emirati people dispose old products and buy new products. A lot of products and goods are consumed every day. People dispose a lot of their wastes in landfill. UAE people should decrease their consumerism to save their resources. A lot of advertisements and campaigns have been organized to promote decreasing consumerism. (A Word a Day in the UAE, 2009).

 

    

Conclusion

In conclusion, the material process story of stuff story passes through main five steps of extraction of resources, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of various products. It has a lot of bad effects on the environment. People should keep their resources by being environmental responsible. People also should participate in recycling, reducing and reusing to keep the natural resource. 

 

Words:753

References

A Word A Day (in the UAE): Consumerism. (n.d.). A Word A Day (in the UAE). Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://word-a-day-uae.blogspot.ae/2009/02/consumerism.html

Haas. (n.d.). Design Thinking @ Haas | Design Thinking, Systems, The Berkeley Difference. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://divergentmba.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/the-story-of-stuff/

Kenin, W., & California, G. P. (n.d.). A review of The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard | . Green Party of the United States | Homepage. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://gp.org/greenpages-blog/?p=2546

Percy, B. (n.d.). The Story of Stuff: How Our Problem with Overconsumption Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health -- and What to Do About It   by Annie Leonard - Powell's Books. Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://www.powells.com/biblio/9781439125663

Story of Stuff Project. (n.d.).  The Story of Stuff Project. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://dev.storyofstuff.org/

S. Downes., & 2009. (n.d.). The Story of Stuff - a Summary ~ Stephen's Web. Stephen's Web ~ Stephen's Web. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://www.downes.ca/post/53388

The Story of Stuff. (n.d.). ProfWork Home Page. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://profwork.org/eee/notes/stuff_notes.html

 

 

way, t. (n.d.). Story of Stuff (Summary & Review). Journey to Become Financially Independent. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://financialindependent.blogspot.ae/2008/08/story-of-stuff-summary-review.html

 

 

Essay 1 (project)

Essay
1- Introduction:
Masdar city is developed center for renewable energy and clean technologies. It is a renewable energy city that develops sustainable low-carbon energy projects. Masdar city is developed to reduce CO2 emissions into atmosphere and carbon footprint through sustainable and energy efficient measures. It also helps in decreasing environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. Masdar supports waste management plans and energy saving initiatives. The main goal of developing Masdar city is to raise the non-oil share of the Abu Dhabi economy from approximately 40% to more than 60% . Masdar project also aims to diversify the economic activities to include priority sectors such as education, banking & finance, tourism, pharmaceuticals, media, aviation & aerospace, transportation & logistics, and manufacturing in areas.
2- Early history:
The idea of establishing Masdar city initiated in 2006. The planned total cost for starting up the project was $22 billion. The construction of Masdar project started in 2008 and it was divided into three main phases.Each phase has to be finished in determined date . Abu Dhabi government funded  Masdar project. The developer and the sponsor of Masdar city is Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC). It is a subsidiary company of Mudadala Development Company (MDC). MDC is owned and developed by Abu Dhabi Government in order to diversify the Abu Dhabi emirate economy and create a strong non oil sector.
3-Development:
The three phases of Masdar city project were planned to be completed in a period of nearly 8 years but the global financial crisis has lead to some delays. The first phase of Masdar project was planned to be finished in 2009 but it didn’t happen. The first six buildings of phase one in Masdar project were completed and occupied in 2010. The rest of buildings in phase one are going to be completed by 2015. The total area planned for Masdar city project is 6 square kilometers. Masdar city is expected to accommodate 45,000 to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses, primarily commercial and manufacturing facilities specializing in environmentally friendly products. It is also expected that more than 60,000 workers will commute Masdar city every day.
4-Modern development
The completion of phase 2 and phase 3 in Masdar city project is  scheduled to occur between 2020 and 2025. After the completion , Masdar city will participate  in diversifying Abu Dhabi economy in a number of ways. It will expand Abu Dhabi export base. It will also attract private-sector businesspersons. Additionally, it will invest in education and research which encourages innovation. Moreover, it will attract, train and retain talent employees in knowledge-based sectors. Furthermore, it will support investment in areas which generate intellectual property gains. Finally, it will increase the non-oil sector’s share of Abu Dhabi economy and it will separate economic growth from fluctuating oil prices.

5- Conclusion:
 Masdar city will be the future worldwide city. It will attract the eyes of all people everywhere to come to live and to invest in it. It will have prosperous future because it is developed based on renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Individuals and the UAE government have to participate together to complete the construction of the remaining phases of Masdar city.  More attention from individuals, governments and societies has to be paid to develop areas which resemble Masdar city.
Bibliography
About Masdar, (n.d), Retrieved 20th April 2013 from:  http://masdarcity.ae/en/86/about-masdar/
About Masdar , (September, 2012), Retrieved 25th April 2013 from:   http://www.masdar.ae/en/home/detail/launched-by-the-abu-dhabi-leadership-in-2006-with-the-mission-to-advance-re
Brebbia, C.A & Beriatos, E. (2011). Sustainable Development and Planning V. WIT Press.
Building the World’s Most Sustainable City, (n.d), Retrieved 24th April 2013 from: http://www.rpd-mohesr.com/uploads/custompages/15_MASDARCITY.pdf
Exploring Masdar City, (n.d), Retrieved 18th April 2013 from:  http://www.masdarconnect.com/userfiles/files/Exploring-Masdar-City-Site-Tour-Booklet.pdf
Sustainability and the city, (n.d), Retrieved 22nd  April 2013 from:  http://masdarcity.ae/en/30/sustainability-and-the-city/
Database :  http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.hct.ac.ae/science/docview/1265836128/13DB993F1007197903B/1?accountid=1215

Personal Reflection 2

In this essay, I am going to write about my personal reflection and feelings towards the skills that I gained from LSC 1103 course.
In fact, LSC 1103 course was very interesting and useful. I really enjoyed it too much and I have gained a lot of benefits from this course. I trained on how to do brainstorming to collect more ideas about one topic and then organize these ideas and start writing covering each idea. I have learned how to organize my writing into introduction, body and conclusion. I have learned how to write the topic sentence in each paragraph in the body and how to develop supporting sentences which are related to the topic sentence. I learned also on how to make a concluding sentence at the end of each paragraph.
In the future, I think that I will use my writing skills in writing  essay, articles and reports about different topics. I think also that writing skills will be very beneficial in the future if I decide to study master degree. In the work, writing skills will be very essential because most jobs require from employees to write reports about the progress in their work.
 Good writing skills are very important in my future success since it is necessary to write essays, articles and reports about various topics in my study or in my work. Good writing skills will help me to do my tasks easily.
 I can develop and improve my writing skills by reading as much as I can in different topics to gain more knowledge and by practicing writing regularly.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I have truly enjoyed all parts in 1103 from summarizing, referencing and writing about different topics. 


Personal reflection #1

In this essay I will write about my personal reflection and I will explain my feeling about the subject which I learned and the information that I had gained in 1103 class.

I have been enjoyed learning the subject which contains summarizing and finding out the references. The easiest part was to find out the references but the summarizing was a little  bit harder. However I get used to do more practices in summarizing so its no longer hard.

The referencing and bibliographies lesson was very useful and interested for me because I can know the name of the author,the written date of the article and I can know from which website to look for. I will use this information that I had learned in 1103 class to teach my children how to summarize and finding out the references for any article. Also I can use this information in my future career which will help me a lot in life.

To sum up I would like to have more classes in future which contains these two subject to Improve my skills in writing and summarizing. In this course with Mr.Gregory our teacher he made me eager to learn more and  i feel very appreciated that he teach us.

Summary 1

Preserving Emirati Tradition

The keeping of traditional Emirati sports alive is very important and that shows the character of the UAE national which is came from traditional Bedouin culture. The most important things that the young Emirati have to know is about his past traditions and how the life was with their parents because its an important part of our national identity that will reflect our heritage,history and culture. Tradition sports that preserve the tradition in UAE are for future generations such as falconry, saluki hunting, traditional boat racing and camel racing. Every child have to know and learn the tradition in school or by their parents because it will be stamped in them easily from birth. We have to keep the past alive and maintain upholding it for the future.




Word count :135


References
Mouslsy, R. (2010, March 28). Keeping traditions alive. Gulf news.com. Retrieved March 7, 2013, from gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/keeping-traditions-alive-1.603773


APA formatting by BibMe.org.

Summary 2

Houbara Bustards

The people of Morocco used to breed birds in the Atlas Mountains. The wild life has produced money and the Abu Dhabi government sponsored the program because the birds are endangered in North African houbara and they plan to prevent them from becoming extinct. The houbara bustards in many countries were abundant. In the article,Houbara Bustards, the author describes ,"The birds that are destined to be used for breeding are trained to be familiar with humans..."(Todorova,V.2011).. The chicks are kept in wire cages while the hunting season and this way protects almost 65 per cent of birds. After release of the houbara the scientist kept checking by radios and the program was success which has increased  the number of the Houbara bustards.



Count word: 130


  Todorova, V. (2011, May 27). UAE-funded centre revives endangered bird population - The National. Latest and breaking news | thenational.ae - The National. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/heritage/uae-funded-centre-revives-endangered-bird-population

Hi my name is Saeed Almarar ,I live in Abu Dhabi ,I'm 22 years old ,I study chemical engineering and this is my first semester.