Blanca Bañuelos

Pollution: the action of polluting especially by environmental contamination with man-made waste.

How it Affects Sea Life

Sea creatures such as sea turtles often mistake plastic for jellyfish and consume it. This causes them so become ill and eventually die. Creatures get stuck in bags and other confined plastic objects. Fishing causes lots of waste to be dumped into the ocean. An example of such waste is fishing nets.

The equipment used for fishing can also cause damage to the ecosystem, "Gears that drag across the seafloor, like trawls and dredges, can destroy delicate habitats that provide shelter, food and breeding grounds for fish and other species." (seafoodwatch.org)

Bycatch: the portion of a commercial fishing catch that consists of marine animals caught unintentionally. "As many as 200,000 loggerhead sea turtles and 50,000 leatherback sea turtles are caught annually. Fishing also kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds when they become entangled in gillnets", (seafoodwatch.org). These animals die and become extinct. Extinction causes an imbalance in the ecosystem. When ecosystems start failing, global warming occurs which affects everyone in the world; human and non-human animals.

 




Overfishing: to fish excessively; to exhaust the supple of usable fish.
The fish in the area being fished can not reproduce fast enough which leads to extinction of species. Because fishing is so common and overfishing is a problem all over the world, studies have proven that we could see fishless oceans by the year 2048! https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2006/11/seafood-biodiversity

How to Help 

There are countless ways we can help. Simple switches like reusable cups, straws and utensils make a huge impact every time you dine out. People often think that they won’t make an impact because they are simply one person. One person can aways make a difference by striking up conversation with others about their new found knowledge on helping the environment. By educating others, you can encourage them to make conscious choices. 

Reusable Items

Reducing single-use plastic can make an impact. If you do not absolutely need single use products, replace them with more sustainable products. When grocery shopping, remember to carry reusable bags with you or use paper bags. Some grocery stores even offer a 10% discount when you bring in your own bag. Dining out is something most people do. When dining out, carry your own reusable utensil kits. Purchasing one will help you in the long-run! Same goes for straws and cups. Coffee shops such as Starbucks offer a 10% discount when you bring in your own cup. You can purchase a “venti” sized cup and straw set from Starbucks stores for as little as $3.19. You can enjoy your favorite drink while saving the planet and saving money in the long run!

Recycle

Always recycle when single use plastic items are a must. Even clothes can be recycled. Most people tend to dispose of it when an alternative to that can be donating to thrift stores, organizations that gives clothes to those in need, or you can drop off garments at H&M where they will recycle it and in turn give you a discount on your next purchase. 

Hands On

Find a local beach and group that hosts a beach clean up day. Volunteers are aways needed for these activities. An alternative to this is for you and some friends to get together and hit the beach and clean it yourselves! Remember to have a separate bag for recyclable items.

Conscious Food Choices

Reducing the amount of seafood you eat or completely cutting it out of your diet reduce the amount of sea life caught. This saves the lives of not just the fish you would typically eat but also the lives of the sea creatures that are not used for food (bycatch). We live in a time where there are food alternatives that taste just like the real thing but are actually healthier. Brands like Gardein have meatless options that can fool anyone! 

How Others Help 
 "As someone who is vegan, I find that educating people about these kinds of topics really makes a difference. It helps others realize whats going on around them. To help this cause, I make conscious choices in terms of plastic use. I carry my reusable utensils, cup, and straws with me. I also prefer to invest in reusable grocery bags. My diet is completely plant based therefore I do not eat any seafood at all. I don’t only do it for the sake of the environment, I do it for ethical reasons as well. Fish feel pain just like me and you. They don’t want to die."-Erika G., 21

"I became vegan after my best friend educated me on what goes on when we consume animals and animal by products. She also helped me find alternatives to single-use products. When grocery shopping, I always make sure to bring my own bags. I believe we should share our knowledge with everyone and that way we can get more people involved in the movement." -Vanessa A., 21

"Recently I have made small conscious choices that I know will make a difference in the long run. I now bring my own reusable cup and straw to Starbucks and carry a reusable bag with me. Giving up seafood is not something I can see myself doing but I have cutback on consumption as best I can. Thanks to education through social media, I now know that small changes make a huge difference in the end." -Janessa N., 24

Alejandro Bermudez Los Angeles traffic pollution

Los Angeles Highways: A Fast Lane For Pollution

Alejandro Bermudez

Los Angeles is one of the most well known cities in the world filled with diversity, landmarks, and central hub for all types of cultures. Being one of the largest cities in the United States it is a heavily populated area. With plenty of sites to see and locations to explore, traveling is a main aspect of being in Los Angeles and the highways provide faster routes to these locations than driving by street. These highways may provide faster transportation but can be harmful to its neighboring communities. Considering the population of Los Angeles CO2 emissions are highly concentrated in highways especially due to traffic but its not only the pollution but the location in where the highways takes place. A 2013 study by the US: Public Library of Science researched pollution levels in relation to neurodevelopment deficiencies after prenatal exposure to pollutants. The study showed a relationship between increased baby birth rates and prenatal exposure. Therefore children are more likely to be obese as a response to living near pollution along with asthma and higher chance of depression in adult males. The research also noted the location of most highways being near low-socioeconomic areas where it may be more difficult for its residents to receive the adequate treatment to prevent these deficits.

This issue is personal to me not only because I personal live near several highways but because overall it is effecting our climate and communities. The highways are very helpful in traveling but the amount of pollution caused by them can be reduced by putting more emphasis on public transportation and encouraging carpooling. If we focus on reducing pollution levels through these methods instead of creating more highways that can lead to more vehicle pollution and more people being relocated we can provide a healthier environment for our community while benefiting our climate.

What especially hurts about the amount of pollution and where it is located is how it effects the youth before they are even born. I work with children and I see some with asthma and breathing issues. Although they may have been born with it knowing that the environment we are in already puts them at a disadvantage is terrible. Also knowing that the lack of effort in reducing emission levels is providing an unhealthy environment for future generations yet not taken as seriously is very alarming. I believe we must work in the present to provide a healthy environment not just for ourselves but for future generations. 

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The I-710 freeway has been of main focus when discussing car emission levels members of neighboring communities mention the unhealthy air quality surrounding the highway. In a 2005 research held by Gunwoo Lee and colleagues focused on reducing the emission rate in the freeway since the highway runs through the San Pedro ports contributing vastly to California's economy they tried to reduce the emission without disrupting the economy. The researchers discovered that transition to zero-emission trucks instead of diesel resulted in other modes of transportation to be used such as rails. These changes were noted that emission levels have gone down and have spread less.

How Can We Help?

The EPA provides a guideline of a few ideas that can help reduce vehicle emissions:

• Carpooling or using rideshares
• Using public transportations
• maintaining vehicle tune ups
• Electric vehicles
• Hybrid/Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Under California's Global Warming Solutions Act we are able to see a trend in Greenhouse Gases (GHG) decreasing over the decade. Through policies being placed such as the no-emission vehicles being used for transportation and an increase in public transportation we can see a great decline over the past decade. Although most emissions are still concentrated within low socioeconomic neighborhoods efforts towards pollution are more focused on reducing instead of relocating the emissions.

Our Supportive Community Members 

Denilson Cruz "It is unfortunate to see pollution effect the poor communities most than others even with these changes to help prevent so much car pollution these people are still surrounded by most of the emissions. We live in a pivotal moment when it comes to global warming where the people in charge do not believe it exist so its hard to believe that they will even help these people out."

Jacqueline Rodriguez "I find the situation insulting. You have these big corporations run by the upper class that knowingly poison our air. Then they turn a blind eye when a minority group decides to call them out on it. They place their factories in communities of color because they do not prioritize their health. But then we have global warming that effects all of us even them and they choose not to believe it is happening. At this point they are killing us and forgetting that they are evidently taking themselves down too."

Ruby Delgadillo "I'm glad to hear efforts are being made to reduce pollution but if what is left is still concentrated on poor communities then that's still a big problem. We already hear about the government officials not believing in global warming so I doubt they would believe these communities are still being hurt. I guess it is up to us to support those that can see this problem and also make a change. Until then all we can do is be aware of the situation."

References

Lee, G., You, S. (, Ritchie, S. G, Saphores, J. M, Sangkapichai, M., & Jayakrishnan, R. (2008). Environmental Impacts of a Major Freight Corridor: A study of the I-710 in California. UC Berkeley: University of California Transportation Center. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kw9370nDavis, D. A., Bortolato, M.,

Godar, S. C., Sander, T. K., Iwata, N., Pakbin, P., … Morgan, T. E. (2013). Prenatal exposure to urban air nanoparticles in mice causes altered neuronal differentiation and depression-like responses. PLoS ONE, 8(5). https://doi-org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0064128GHG Current California Emission

Inventory Data. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-data.What You Can Do to Reduce Pollution from Vehicles and Engines. (2017, January 10). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/what-you-can-do-reduce-pollution-vehicles-and-engines.

Overpopulation in Animal Shelters

Problem Definition

There are too many dogs and cats without homes in Los Angeles; the number of pets received in shelters is far too high compared to the number that are adopted.

Research

According to The County of Los Angeles Animal Care and Control, between July 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019, there were 4,235 cats and 3,855 dogs were adopted in all shelters. However, in comparison, 5,071 cats and 742 dogs were euthanized. This means of all incoming animals, 51% were adopted while 40% were euthanized. It is still an increasingly high number of animals despite efforts to reduce the amount of animal incomes. Of animal incomes, 78% of these animals were strays, while only 20% were owner surrenders. The rest are either seized animals taken into custody or other cases.

Alternatively, the Los Angeles Animal Services reported that in the year 2018, there were 10,953 cats and 23,688 dogs impounded. In contrast, during the same year, there were 10,479 and 21,182 dogs determined as a live release (this is defined as animals that were either adopted, fostered, reunited with former owners, etc). That means that 83.60% of cats and 93.36% of dogs were saved.

Personal

All of the pets I have ever owned were rescue animals. Specifically, one of my dogs was at risk of being euthanized, and if it were not for my family adopting her, she would’ve been another statistic. She was adopted when she was only 6 months old, and this year, she reached 16 years old. She has touched our lives and have changed it in a way that would not be possible if she had been euthanized. I sometimes think of the thousands of animals that lose their lives, not because they are not adoptable, but merely because there isn’t enough demand or enough resources to give them homes. I think this is an issue that needs to be fixed.

Members of the Community

I surveyed community members at the Pasadena Off-Leash Dog Park at 3026 E Orange Grove on October 27, 2019. All community members surveyed agreed that the stray and homeless pet population in Los Angeles is a problem that needs to be addressed. Four people consented to having their photo taken, however every person surveyed (approximately 10) all agreed they believed it was an issue, even if they did not wish to participate in the photo portion of the project.

Chris Menesis

Ruth Mercado

Kirk Ly

Janet Morris 

Sources

• The County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care. County of Los Angeles Animal Care and Control All Animal Care Centers, 2019, The County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care, https://animalcare.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LiveandNonLiveReleaseCurrentYearPDF.pdf.
• “LA Animal Serivces.” LA Animal Serivces, Department of Animal Services, Dec. 2018, https://www. https://www.laanimalservices.com/pdf/reports/Woof%20Stat%20Dec%202018.pdf.com/pdf/reports/Woof%20Stat%20Dec%202018.pdf.
• “Pet Overpopulation.” SPCA LA, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, https://spcala.com/resources/pet-library/general-articles/pet-overpopulation/.

Human Trafficking - Jasmine Chavez

Human Trafficking

A topic that does not get discussed a lot about is Human trafficking. I decided to write about this topic to bring awareness of the dangers it has to the people in my community. Human trafficking is defined as people engaging in selling people for sex, labor, and/or both. It goes by many names that might be known such as "modern slavery", "trafficking of persons", or "human trafficking." It is an ct of buying or selling people in the black market. Mainly women and children are sold and used for sexual exploitation. As for men that are trafficked they are used for labor. There is no specific race or ethnicity that is mainly trafficked, it can happen to anyone of color, race, and/or race.This is an act of terror and must be put to an end.

Why does it occur?
Human trafficking is used to exploit people for different purposes. Mostly women are used sexual exploitation. Other uses of this exploitation is domestic servitude. Which uses people from a different country and controlling them to clean up after their house. In addition, people are used in the trafficking system for organ removal, forced marriage, sex trade, war fare, and children that are used to beg.
There are many factors that contribute to the trafficking. People living in poverty, lack of education access, and little amount of job opportunities.
The demand of people is a high reward with a low risk. This is because there is no legal action to punish the people who partake in these acts.

Where does it occur?
Most continents on this world participate in modern day slavery. People living in poverty are at risk being trafficked.This happens because people in poverty are persuaded by these traffickers for a better job opportunity and later being taken because of lack of knowledge. It is shocking to find out that some states in the United States partake in this awful act. Some states like Florida, New York, Texas, and even California! Research has stated that California is one of the largest state that is involved with trafficking. In 2016 there were about 1,331 cases that had occurred just in California. Majority of these cases were sex exploitation, others were involved in labor and others not known.

Statements from my community

Stephanie thoughts on the topic: "Human trafficking is probably one of my biggest fears. I've heard many stories of normal day to day who dropped their guard for just one minute and did not make back to their regular lives after being trafficked. The crazy part is most of the people are never found again! I feel there should be more being done to prevent and protect people. There needs to be more work forces trying to catch the main organizers of human trafficking."


Angel Q. thoughts on the topic: "As a male I think it is difficult to exert my feelings towards human trafficking because we don't experience the same thing as a female. But from a females perspective I think it must be an uncomfortable subject to think about. Females always have to worry about dealing with uncomfortable situations everyday such as random guys staring and trying to talk to them or even trying to get their contact information. I live by a metro station where men were targeting women and children. Having to see and live next to this was surreal. As a male in my community it is a terrible thought because it could happen to my mom or my sister and I wouldn't have to think twice because I am a male."


Megan thoughts on the topic: "I think human trafficking is an ongoing issue not only in the U.S but all over the world. In my opinion, I think this has been going on for a very long time, but the government and state officials choose to ignore it or not address it. I've heard that it's happening more openly and frequently. It's mainly girls who these people are after and girls have been approached now in parking lots or malls. The girls who are being targeted are young girls and from my understanding, are being drugged and raped by hundreds; if not by thousands of men a day. It's a very sad situation for these girls because they are being robbed of their childhood. It not only makes me sad and angry, but disappointed that our country is aware of the ongoing issue but has done nothing to prevent this from occurring.

Surviving Victims of Human Trafficking:
People that have survived or escaped the life of horror have mental health problems. These victims deal with mental disorders and psychological illness. These illness include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, panic disorders, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder, and Stockholm syndrome. The most common side effect is the Stockholm syndrome. This is a syndrome where the victims feel hard to leave the abuser. They fear the abuser will harm them or worse being killed. Also they tend to depend on the abuser for security, shelter, food, and clothing.

Bringing Awareness:
People in our society need to be aware of this issue because no one deserves to taken from their family or even put through such madness that has major mental and emotional effects. People are now involved in social media and that is one way we can prevent or bringing awareness of people in our community. A simple post to watch out for signs if you are being targeted by traffickers to be on alert. Or even putting up a flyer in school campuses or public places that allow it. Spreading the word can help save lives. And it starts with us.

Asking for help:
If you may know someone who is need of help don't be afraid to ask for help.
The Human Trafficking hot line is 1(888) 373-7888.
They are available 24/7 for assistance.
Their website is https://humantraffickinghotline.org 

References

Becerra, X. (2017, September 27). What is Human Trafficking? Retrieved October 30, 2019, from          https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/what-is.

Hampton, T.-L. (2019, February 4). Sex Trafficking: impact on victim's mental & physical health.          Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://medium.com/spartan-writers/sex-trafficking-impact-on-        victims-mental-physical-health-f74e1dd61df2.

How Trafficking Exists Today. (2016, January 6). Retrieved October 30, 2019, from                                https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/how-trafficking-exists-today/29715.

Rlemke, R. K. (2019, October 2). 7 Things You May Not Know About Human Trafficking, And 3          Ways To Help. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.crs.org/stories/stop-human-                   trafficking.

Keith Wang

Inadequate Funding in Education

Why Education?

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Education plays a tremendous part of most adolescents' lives. On average, students will spend about 7 hours per day, 180 days a year, for 13 years from preschool to 12th grade in the classroom, not including extracurricular activities. That averages about 16,380 hours spent in school before college. Time in the classroom undoubtedly plays a big part of growing up for students. A student's experience in school ultimately can influence not only the career future of students, but everything that happens to students in and out of the classroom. Under-funding in education is a important social issue because not only is it something that affects students in school, but also has an impact on how these students progress through life into society. Students of today will become the workforce of tomorrow.

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For many years, schools around the country have dealt with constant education cuts and they fight a constant battle trying to make education properly funded. Despite studies showing the positive correlation on student spending many areas still suffer from being underfunded and overcrowded. The negative consequences of this effect can be seen throughout the areas surrounding these schools, raising the importance of increasing funding to bring positive change not only to the individual, but also the community.

Issues that Education Faces

Funding is a broad description of the issues education faces, but the result of under-funding has led to various issues that affect different aspects of education as a whole.

Overcrowded Classrooms

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One of the results from lack of funding has resulted in overcrowded classrooms. The overcrowding of classroom is a vital issue when it comes to education as it results in less attention being paid per student. The amount of time being split among 10 students and 30 students vary exponentially especially when considering the varying needs of each student. Overcrowding in classrooms results in students generally finding less success and limiting access to extracurricular activities. These issues can be responsible in less students graduating.

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                                                Lack of Resources

The availability of resources is heavily impacted on funding. More often than not, resources available to students are the first the be cut when it comes to budgetary issues. Without the proper resources for students to be exposed to various subjects and topics, it makes it difficult for students to find their success. Lack of course opportunities can make it unfavorable for students especially in low-income areas.²

Teachers/Faculty

As a result of of the previously laid out issues, teachers face a considerably more difficult task. Though teachers are responsible for the education of the students, teachers generally faces a less than competitive wage affecting staffing quality. Overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources attribute adding a more demanding task for teacher to be able to efficiently run their classrooms.¹

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What can we do?

The best way to challenge the issue of under funding in schools is to speak to representatives to invest in education. Though effects of these changes are not immediately seen, the potential benefits for the individual can great. In a study on the correlation between school spending and economical outcomes "Event-study and instrumental variable models reveal that a 10 percent increase in per-pupil spending each year for all twelve years of public school leads to 0.27 more completed years of education, 7.25 percent higher wages, and a 3.67 percentage-point reduction in the annual incidence of adult poverty; effects are much more pronounced for children from low-income families."⁴

Asking the Community

"I feel that education is one of the most important beginning to every person's future. It is extremely important to make sure everyone has what they need to ensure the best possible experience to result in hopefully the best possible outcomes for themselves"

- Joseph Gonzalez Site Coordinator of Public Services West Covina









"From my experience working with children of various ages, schooling definitely has an effect on how children develop and interact with the community. Working in after-school sports programming has showed me the amazing benefits these programs can have on children."

-Jordan Sanchez Program Coordinator City of Pomona