Assignment Two
For
Introduction to Environmental Studies
ESG100A01
BWH
Question 1
As a student of Bishop's University, I live on campus, but made the decision to cook for myself thanks to the appropriate settings established in the residence of Paterson. Therefore, all my food supplies originate from the retail store of Provigo, unless I find time to seek for cheaper ones in Sherbrooke. This is why I have decided to meet with the manager of my Provigo store in Lennoxville in order to obtain reliable information on what I consume on a daily basis. Mr. Lafond showed traits of great cooperativeness and managed to answer all of my questions related to the answer of this question. For privacy reasons, Mr. Lafond would not take part of a picture that could be displayed on my paper but gave me his personal business card, which may be observed above. I asked Mr. Lafond precise questions on three of the food items I had retrieved of my list: Eggs, Tomatoes, and Pork, which were all eaten by myself on a 24 hour period.
The eggs I consume on a regular basis purchased from Provigo go through a complex process before landing on my frying pan. As you may visualize above, thanks to the code printed on my egg, I was able to track my egg in a fairly accurate manner. The gaps missing were filled by extra research. My eggs are produced by one of the 14 Burnbrae farms and is produced in the Deschamps family precisely who are the fourth generation of their family to carry on tradition of farming (Burnbrae Farms). The Deschamps' farm are situated at St Jacques Le Mineur which is about 27Km from Montreal (Saint Jacques) who is its closest major city. Mr. Lafond explained that once those eggs are ready, they leave the farm by refrigerated trucks in direction to Montreal where they will be quality graded by the leader in the classification of Egg in Québec, Nutri-oeuf that is the early stage of the complex process. It is only once they have been controlled in Montreal that they will leave directly by refrigerated trucks to Lennoxville, which is located 153Km away from the major city, in order to supply my local retail store (Distances From). Below is a diagram explaining the process my eggs went through.
In this diagram, from stage number 4 is the role of Nutri-Oeuf until it reaches stage 12. It is at stage 13 that Provigo takes charge.
The tomatoes I ate for lunch along with my salad are to my surprise harvested in healthy conditions. According to Mr. Lafond hey are grown in a local location from Provigo in a town called Waterville. The farm goes by the name of Ferme les Grand Soleils and is specializes in producing lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. All of their products are grown in absence of pesticides, which significantly reduces the risk of environmental impact. Unprofessional application of pesticides over broad areas may eliminate certain needed food sources. Elimination of food sources can cause wildlife to relocate to other areas, substitute other food sources, or die. Wildlife moving to another area can create additional competition for food and space with resident species. A predatory animal lacking prey may shift to a valued game species or even domestic livestock. Fish and wildlife can be exposed to pesticides by eating animals poisoned by pesticides or plants containing pesticides (Ecology and Environmental Considerations). Provigo receives such products up to 5 times a week in order to retain a fresh stock.
For dinner, I ate Pork purchased in the meat section of my local supermarket. According to Mr. Lafond, their Pork production is also local from the town of Asbestos who directly delivers 3 to 4 times during the week. The Pork comes from Les Viandes Laroche, a meat distributor member of the VSC (ViandesSélectionnées des Cantons) (Viandes). Their objective consists of supplying meat of quality that is produced without the use of neither medicine nor hormones stimulating artificial growth.
Question 2
My residence's fresh water is pumped out of the Memphremagog Lake and is at my disposition after undergoing a complex process of treatment in order for the water to be safe and uncontaminated. (Les traitements)
Above is the exact plan demonstrating the circuit my fresh water resting in the Memphremagog Lake went through (SchemaEauPotable). The fresh water is starting from the lake and is then stored for my personal usage. Since the plan is very large, you may view it by zooming the Word Document to read details, but I will resume it with fewer steps.
Lake Memphremagog, which flows north from the U.S. to Canada, is a highly valued resource providing recreational opportunities and serving as a public water supply for residents of Canada and the United States. It serves three large communities, which are the city of Newport (Vermont), Ville de Magog (Quebec) and Ville de Sherbrooke (Quebec). In the past recent years, there has been a growing interest guided towards the Lake and its quality. This has been emphasized by focused media attention on water quality issues which is nowadays an important concern regarding the environment and its water supply. More attention has been given also due to the increasing incidence of cyanobacteria blooms. These blooms can be caused by excessive nutrient concentrations, particularly phosphorus (Monitoring and Assessment Work Group).
Above is a simplified version of the schema indicating the complex process through which my fresh water travels in order for me to consume it.
Coagulation and Flocculation
Coagulation and flocculation is the first step in water treatment. Chemicals containing a positive charge are added to the water. The positive charge of these chemicals neutralize the negative charge of dirt and other dissolved particles in the water. When this occurs, the particles bind with the chemicals and form larger particles. Particles called floc.
Sedimentation
During the sedimentation process, floc sinks to the bottom of the water supply due to its weight. This sinking process is called sedimentation.
Filtration
Once the floc has sinked to the bottom of the water supply, the clear water on top will pass through a series of filters of varying compositions (sand, gravel, and charcoal) and hole sizes, in order to remove dissolved particles, such as bacteria, dust, parasites, viruses, and chemicals.
Disinfection
After the water has been filtered, a disinfectant such as chlorine, chloramine for example maybe added to the water supply in order to kill any remaining parasites, bacteria, and viruses, and to protect the water from additional germs when it is piped to homes and businesses.
(CDC)
Question 8
White Oak trees (Eastern Quebec)
Thirteen species of oak (Quercus) are present on the lands of Canada. These deciduous trees produce corns that squirrels, raccoons, geese, and deer enjoy. They are primarily native to the southernmost extent of the provinces that touch the United States.
(Oak Trees of Canada)
The white oak or eastern white oak (Quercus Alba) exists in southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec
Spruce
The Canadian landscape would not be the same without the presence of spruce tree, with its green and bushy boughs. The pillar of many northern forests, spruce trees grow all across Canada with the exception of only a few regions, like the northernmost reaches of Nunavut (Canadian Wildlife Federation).
Crab apple trees
Starting with bursts of white, pink or red blooms in spring, followed by bright green (and in some cases red) foliage in summer, then green, red or yellow fruit in fall, crabapples are three-season performers.
Eastern red cedar
Called red cedar because of the red color of its wood.
Red mapple
Red maple derives its name from its brilliant autumnal foliage. While common in swamps and moist slopes throughout New York, it is also abundant on dry slopes. Red maple is becoming more common as it is typically reproduces well by seed and by sprouts from the stump following cutting.
Squirrel
Chipmunk
Eastern Chipmunks have pouches in the sides of their mouths for storing food. When the pouches are full, they can be nearly as big as the animals' head.
Skunk
White tale deer
Lucky for me, I spotted a White Tale Deer for the very first time behind my residence (Paterson).
Other animals and plants seen:
- Red pine
- Suggarmapple
- White pine
- Rakin
- Yellow Birch
- Seagull
- Woodpecker
Conclusion
This assignment has highly educated me of the interaction between my surrounding environment and myself. One of the research questions that surprised me the most was the one concerning the food. When you have no knowledge in food production or its environmental impact, you imagine the animals being killed and cut in an Abattoir until they are directly transported to the retail store. It is hard to imagine they go through processes that can reach up to 14 steps as I previously illustrated with the Eggs production Diagram. The code bar printed on the Egg was one of the details that I considered the most exiting of this project since the traceability to the exact farm was now possible due to technology. This has broadened my thinking on the subject of tracing food since the topic is becoming more and more discussed after countless scandals concerning environmental irresponsibility, animal cruelty, or diseases.
My favorite part of this essay in terms of research was the food because I got such a pleasant conversation about the topic itself with Mr. Lafond. However, my personal research on water was just as interesting, if not more. If you visualize the Schema that requires you to Zoom In for visualizing details, it is impressive to see how sharply that water is treated and the consequences it may bring on human health if ever these processes are over estimated. The filtration process related to positive and negative charges was outstanding and seemed like a very advanced process once discovered. The problems related to concentration of nutrients in Memphremagog Lake is actually a real life concern and not just seen in the course theory, as we could see with the Blooms appearing in 2005 and a vital need of partnership between members of the Lake in order to treat the issue effectively.
When I took the initiative to pick question 8, I feared the fact of not finding enough types and species of animals or plants in order to complete this essay. At my surprise, my list of observation was easily filled and with a little support of our BU "gardeners" who guided me on the right way helping me to name or notice some previous uncertainties. It was impressive to see how much variety the nearby ecosystem is composed of at such proximity of the campus, and it now makes sense how the smallest environmental impact can potentially severely imbalance the living food chain. For example, my research on pesticides made me realize to what extent the chemical product may have on the environment in case of "Drift" and how poisonous it can be to living species such as birds and plants if the use of it is not very professional. The opening for this research on pesticides came to my attention when I was searching for the origins of vegetables I consume on a daily basis such as tomatoes.
This essay was a sort of lifetime experience in learning to be more in control of my surroundings, which is naturally a form of relief to the human mind, or mine at least who has tendency to know what is going on in my close surroundings. I consider binge more careful and aware in further purchases of food, which are processes so well hidden "behind the scenes". We truly must be aware of such processes and it goes with the water treatments since the slightest unprofessional action may have dramatic repercussions on our health.
References
153 Km - Distance from Montreal to Lennoxville. (n.d.). 153 Km - Distance from Montreal to Lennoxville. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.distancesfrom.com/ca/distance-from-Montreal-to-Lennoxville-Sherbrooke/DistanceHistory/5088664.aspx
Burnbrae Farms : About Us : Company History. (n.d.). Burnbrae Farms : About Us : Company History. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.burnbraefarms.com/consumer/about_us/history.htm
CDC. (2012, December 4). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html
Canadian Wildlife Federation: Spruce Trees of Canada. (n.d.). Canadian Wildlife Federation: Spruce Trees of Canada. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/flora-fauna/flora/spruce-trees-of-canada.html
Ecology and Environmental Considerations. (n.d.). PSEP. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://psep.cce.cornell.edu/Tutorials/core-tutorial/module06/index.aspx
Les traitements de l'eau. (n.d.). - Le Triangle Scientifique. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://trianglescientifique.e-monsite.com/pages/l-or-bleu/les-traitements-de-l-eau.html
Monitoring and Assessment Work Group of the
Quebec/Vermont Steering Committee on Lake Memphremagog. The Water Quality of Lake Memphremagog. Retrieved from http://www.memphremagog.org/FCKeditor/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Centre_de_documents/EN/Quebec-Vermont-Water-quality-of-lake-Memphreamgog.pdf
Oak Trees of Canada. (n.d.). GardenGuides. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.gardenguides.com/101927-oak-trees-canada.html#ixzz2lqtBkES1
Saint Jacques le Mineur, Quebec. (n.d.). Saint Jacques le Mineur (Quebec [QC]): Around the Neighborhood. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.roadsidethoughts.com/qc/saint-jacques-le-mineur-nearby.htm
SchemaEauPotable. Retrieved from http://www.ville.magog.qc.ca/ckeditor/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Environnement/SchemaEauPotable.pdf
Viandes sélectionnées des Cantons. (n.d.). - La Terre de chez nous. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.laterre.ca/elevage/viandes-selectionnees-des-cantons/
