Share 'N' Voice: Hot, Flat, and Crowded

I never thought I would be interested in a book I read to a client of mine for me Personal Care Assistant job.  He is a to-be law school grad student who is interested in politics and law.  He is taking a class which requires him to read the book Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas L. Friedman, in which I read to him.  As I began to read him this book, I was quickly reminded of our class and how each aspect of the book relates to what we talk about:

• HOT:  Our world is showing climate change is becoming an urgent issue that needs to be addressed before it's too late.  This book describes this problem as global warming is Mother Nature's way to tell us to stop and slow down (relating to the factors that cause increased climate change).

• FLAT:  Globalization is taking over our world, and it's being taken over fast.  One example includes the huge problem of deforestation in third world countries for economic gains in our country.

• CROWDED:  Overpopulation is slowly making our world more difficult to maintain due to the increase needs for materials, food, shelter, water, and much more.

Friedman explains the major issues of our world and how our children will be affected by these issues if things are not changed soon.  He advocates for a cleaner, more efficient, more greener world.

I was surprised at how well this book was written!  He gets very imaginative and uses good examples to help create images as to what he tries to explain.  I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding how our world is becoming hot, flat, and crowded.  It is an easy read and very informational!

Advocacy Project: Fact Sheet

What's the issue?  Who is affected by this?

Large bodies of water like the Great Lakes are suffering due to pollution.  This causes loss of fresh, clean water for all species and human use.



There are three different types of sources of pollution, according to Wikipedia:

Point-Source Pollution: Pollution that enters bodies of water directly.

Nonpoint-Source Pollution:  Pollution that enters bodies of water through runoffs, streets, streams, etc.  This is the hardest source of pollution to regulate and reduce.

Atmospheric Pollution:  Pollution that enters bodies of water through the sky, like smoke or debri from plants or buildings.



Some interesting facts from the EPA website concerning our Great Lakes:

-"Each year, 24 billion gallons of sewage pollution are dumped into the Great Lakes".

-"According to the EPA, during 2009, U.S. Great Lakes beaches had 3,300 days of closings and advisories.  Water quality monitoring showed that bacteria levels exceeded health and safety standards.  In many cases, the bacteria came from city pollution and under treated sewage".

-" Recreational swimmers using any of the Great Lakes are cautioned about exposure to chemical pollutants and disease-causing microorganisms from sources such as untreated and poorly treated sewage".