Posts by anastasiyamalin
Conference Reaction
I was definitely disappointed in the conference. I feel like the projects in our group didn’t really relate to our topic, and a few of them actually presented solutions and proposals. I also thought there would be more professionals and less groups. Other than that, I actually enjoyed working and developing out project. I think we created something attainable and I am very happy with our work.
More than just a friend
There has been a lot of talk about whether we should have kids and what our futures are going to look like. I just had to point out how an increasing amount of adults are getting dogs as a kind of substitute for kids. Dogs are becoming more and more popular, and in a city like NYC, small dogs are often preferred. But these little things can come with a huge price tag. Their immune systems are often weak and require as much attention as a little kid. People can feed them organic food, that are filled with vitamins I’ve never even heard of. It takes a lot to sustain a big city of people, but what does it take to also sustain their little companions? Dogs are becoming bigger parts of New Yorker’s lives and I think the direction our city is taking might be affected by these sensitive little creatures. I think dogs force people to be more responsible and take notice of all the toxins we are surrounded by. For example, my friend recently got a dog, and unsurprisingly, I see her reading food and product labels constantly. She is becoming more aware of what we are exposed to, and I think that is a pattern amongst everyone I know that has gotten dogs.
Yes they’re cute, and they’re great friends that keep us company, force us to get out to a park, and just bring us happiness. But maybe they can do more for us as a society, and force us to take more careful notice of the lives that we’re living, and maybe do something about it.
Cohen Takeaways
New York City is not alone in having sustainability issues. Many other cities experience congestion, waste, and pollution, but they all figure out how to adapt and adjust new ideas to improve the cities. We just have to proactively start attacking one issue at a time.
recyclable trash
It’s nice to see people take initiative and organize all of the cardboard they are trying to get rid of. It takes a lot of time and effort to break down boxes like that. The people are probably thinking that not only are they avoiding a fine but they’re also doing a good thing by recycling and eliminating waste that would otherwise would end up at a landfill. The sad thing is that after snapping he picture, I saw a garbage truck come by and take the cardboard boxes along with the garbage next to it. What a waste of time, energy, and good recyclable card board.
Unfortunately that is today’s reality. Not only is it getting more expensive to recycle but we don’t have the facilities to do it. China is limiting how much recyclable material they are accepting from ya and the US doesn’t have the desire to adapt and take it into their own hands. Through a lot of our readings and LWT presentation, it is clear that there is a demand for recycled material. From sustainable homes to side walk panels that can capture rain, there is so much that we can do with the material. The US leaders just refuse to take a step in that direction. So sad!
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
https://www.olympic.org/news/tokyo-2020-reveals-progress-on-sustainability
PRESENTATION
I’ve always dreamed of having a balcony
I took this picture from a building in Brooklyn. It’s rare to be in the middle of Manhattan and see such a clear view in front of you.
- Something that I notice all the time, is how many buildings have windows and balconies that look straight into another building. I always dreamed of having a balcony in my house or apartment, but after seeing what a balcony is in NYC, i decided I’d rather not. The fact that people paid millions of dollars just to drink coffee on their balcony, enjoying the view of a brick wall, amazes and saddens me. I’m sure the balconies once had a clear view, but with more and more buildings being built up, each taller than the previous one, it’s hard to see anything unless you’re on the 50th floor, way above everyone else… and ever then you might be blocked. People always say “location, location, location” when justifying the insane prices of NYC real estate, but what kind of multimillion dollar location leaves you without any acces to light ?
A different future
Someone recently presented a Last Week Today article about rising temperatures. They presented a map that showed future temperatures all over the country and New York is supposed to get as hot as Florida is right now. I visit Florida at least once a year and i always forget how hot the days get. The statistics didn’t bother me as much until I was laying on the beach turning beet red from a sunburn in the middle of March
No this picture is not of New York. It’s a picture of my current view in Miami Beach. I just can’t imagine New York being 80 degrees in March, if the predictions in the article were correct. We don’t have the beaches to even enjoy this weather and our life style is nothing like the vacation vibe of Florida. Our work schedules aren’t flexible enough to enjoy the weather and the current hot summer temperatures make daily commutes miserable already.
What will happen when our temperatures get way hotter ? Should we be accounting for the increase when we’re fixing our current infrastructure?
More importantly what is going to happen to areas south of us? Florida temperatures tend to be perfect in March, but if global warming forces temperatures to get hotter and hotter, Miami will be unbearable.
I’m thinking about solutions and I’m not sure if we have what it takes to change the course of our rising temperatures. So I think our solution is to start prepping for extremely hot summers so we don’t encounter an even bigger crisis than what is currently waiting for us.
golf?
Its early into the golf season and this is what a lot of golf courses look like right now. To me, that looks like a desert… abandoned and isolated. But in a few weeks, with lots of maintenance, water usage, and human intervention, this Trump golf course is going to look brand new and picturesque.
Someone recently presented an article on the unsustainable practices of golf course up-keeping and this problem is becoming very real as the weather gets nicer and gold course traffic increases.
Golf courses take up so much land and its insane the kind of transformation they go through annually. This picture makes the article a lot more real because its something I personally experienced.
Air-Purifying Machine
I took this picture at a plant shop this week. I was looking for a new plant to replace the one I had to throw out because it got attacked by spider mites.
I visited the shop twice during the week and the second time I noticed how many less plants there were. There has been a recent spike in the sale of plant life all over the country. I think it’s so ironic that we spend so much time, energy, and resources to cut down trees and get rid of forests. To then fill up our home with as much greenery as possible to “purify the air”. All of a sudden we want to grow our own vegetables and herbs, because the ones provided at the super market aren’t fresh and healthy enough. We created the world we live in today, and we no longer like it. Instead of getting our hands dirty and planting new trees, fighting against deforestation and industrialization, we are instead filling our homes with greenery, exactly the opposite of where it all should be. At least now we have a reason to continue polluting our world, because we have some indoor machines purifying the air all over again.
Comments by anastasiyamalin
"I think NYC needs to make an effort to keep up old buildings instead of always building new ones. Our train system is so old, but the city is always trying to improve on it, we should be doing the same thing with buildings. Instead getting rid of them and rebuilding in its spaces, developers should be using the history and beauty of these old buildings to build on the character they already have."
--( posted on Apr 7, 2019, commenting on the post
Repurposing Abandoned Places )
"I HATE WHEN THIS HAPPENS!! I work around Grand Central and sometimes the station gets really packed. It ends up with too many people on the escalator and not enough room for everyone to get off. I'm so scared of one day getting stuck on the escalator as it continues moving because theres not enough room to get off. One of stops I get off on, gets especially packed because the stairs are so far away from the escalator and every has no choice but to use the escalator. This is such a safety hazard!"
--( posted on Mar 28, 2019, commenting on the post
Our Subway’s Impending Population Problem )
"Something I learned last year was how new buildings are tackling their requirement to offer a certain amount of affordable housing. New buildings are creating separate entrances to access low maintained floors so they are compliant with the city. As a result these beautiful new buildings are abusing the poor by offering them cheap housing but at the same time separating them from everyone else by not offering the same amenities and basically closing off the rest of the building from them. I find it crazy to what lengths developers will go just to cater to the rich only.
In another recent article i read that around 2/3 of New Yorkers can't afford to live here and will consider moving in the next 5 years. Who's going to be left living in New York? Where will the future of our city go? I'm scared for the culture and diversity that we see now. I really hope we don't lose it."
--( posted on Mar 23, 2019, commenting on the post
Old Timers )
"I think about this all the time. If I ever got injured, I wouldn’t be able to attend classes or go to work. So I can’t imagine how people, that have to make money to suppose their families navigate the subway when they get injured. It’s not fair, and the issue should be a priority when fixing the public transportation in NYC."
--( posted on Mar 16, 2019, commenting on the post
accessibility for all )
"In addition to that, there needs to be areas for people to dispose of the waste they gather in their bins. When I think about composting in my house, I know that I could definitely utilize a counter top composting bin, but then what do I do with that waste? My building doesn't provide a separate area for it, and I'm not aware of any composting collectors in my area which I could easily walk to. I don't see myself driving to a composting organization every weekend.
This is a great start to figuring out what our next steps should be post collecting organic waste."
--( posted on Mar 10, 2019, commenting on the post
COMPOST )
"I think that's one of the saddest things about living in NYC, not being able to see any stars in the sky. Every time I go on a trip, I try to spend a good amount of time outside when it gets dark, because I never get to see the stars where I live. I'm not sure that there's anything we'd be able to do about it, since so many people work around the clock and theres a need for all the light. Maybe it would be a good idea for the city to require lights to be shut off for a night once in a while. It something we don't often think about, but its sad that we don't get to see all the stars and planets on a regular basis."
--( posted on Mar 2, 2019, commenting on the post
Where are the stars? )
"As I've mentioned in my bio, FiDi is my favorite part of Manhattan, where I spend a lot of time. Last year, I grabbed dinner with my mom in the area and on the way back she made comment: " Is this garbage always here? This is disgusting." I've never noticed how much garbage was out on the street. My mom's judgemental comment opened up my eyes completely and I realized how dirty the area actually is, I just always thought it was normal and didn't think twice about it. Then, when I started to take 6am Barre classes there, I started noticing how after the garbage trucks came around(some would still be out at that time), the streets were covered in garbage, because bags would naturally break. By the time I got out of class, it would be gone. Apparently business owners often have to take the initiative to clean it all up since it was in front of their businesses. But by night time, the garbage bags accumulate from a days worth of human traffic again. The garbage is just a natural daily cycle, and I'm not sure what the solution would be without putting more strain on business owners, and/or creating more traffic and congestion from garbage trucks coming around more than once a day. Not sure theres a solution, unless maybe we created underground garbage tunnels??? - Sounds expensive and time consuming..."
--( posted on Feb 23, 2019, commenting on the post
hot stinkin’ trash )
"I love this picture because factories are all around us and we hardly take time to notice things like this. The pollution is so clear and so "right in your face" but a lot of us wouldn't even look twice at it because we're so used to seeing it. It's just part of our lives. When I look out my window, I can see that exact smoke coming from factories that are miles away, and at this point it doesn't even make me upset because I don't even automatically register what exactly that "cloud" is made out of. Even though it is that white, puffy, and pretty looking doesn't mean that its safe."
--( posted on Feb 15, 2019, commenting on the post
Is that how clouds are made…? )
