Category: Conversation

Introduction

Currently, working from physical office has been related to several challenges that range from traffic congestions during peak hours, low employee satisfaction, minimized production, and small employees’ motivation. According to the ‘State of Work Productivity Report,’ as presented by Hoskins (2016), the U.S loses about $1.8 trillion each year on productivity following physical office setup. Those losses follow due to issues of over commuting, less motivation, and health problems, among others. Again, research indicates that employees in the U.K spend about 60 to 80 minutes when commuting to and from their workplace offices. This figure presents a total time wasted to be between 360 minutes and 480 minutes every week, an amount of traffic time that can cause health problems (Hoskins, 2016). The fiscal times article suggests that Americans above 65 years could be productive if allowed to work from home (Yoder, 2013). However, the traditional system of working from the physical office has rendered them unproductive. Aetna, an insurance company based in the U.S, pointed out that it saves over $10 million annually following the implementation of telecommuting policies. Such an economic perspective is attractive and can motivate other organizations to adopt the telecommuting policies at their work.

The solution to these low productivity, employee demotivation, and health issues, among other physical office challenges, is the telecommuting pilot program. Organizations are adopting a telecommuting approach through a telecommuting policy that governs employees working from home (Loubier, 2017). In this study, the researcher will investigate the demerits of working from the physical office and evaluate possible positive impacts of telecommuting pilot program. Notably, some limitations to telecommuting exist, and they cannot be ignored. However, they are minimal, and thus, cannot exceed telecommuting benefits. Therefore, a complete analysis will bring a clear understanding of the effectiveness of implementing a telecommuting policy at work.

Telecommuting Pilot Program

In efforts to reduce the disadvantages of working from a physical office, most organizations are adopting the telecommuting approach. An experiment reported in the article ‘Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment,’ Bloom et al. (2015), proved that working from home has various benefits to the Ctrip travel agency. The research observed that there was a 13 percent increase in performance, an aspect attributed to working more hours. Following this successful study by Bloom et al. (2015), Ctrip travel agency adopted a telecommuting pilot program into its day to day operations. Telecommuting has been observed to benefit organizations that have applied the policy positively. Telecommuting improves the productivity of an organization. Following the elimination of excessive commuting time and related health challenges, work-telecommuting has been increasing production (Baruch, 2000). Telecommuting is also suitable for health and environmental conservation. Stress associated with too much commuting is reduced when work is done from home. Again, carbon emission is reduced when employees and managers fail to use their vehicles daily as they move to work (Timms et al., 2015).[image: ]

The telecommuting approach has been enabling aging groups to contribute to the economy. Following the reduced presence time in office, individuals above 50 years old and others above 65 years can become beneficial to the economy. Individually, such individuals decide to delay their retirement, citing comfort in working from home, thus improving the overall economy (Yoder, 2013). The telecommuting pilot program has also been associated with reducing the costs of running the business. Employees benefit from reduced prices that are associated with commuting daily, while other costs like renting big office space are reduced, costs of office furniture are minimized, similar to reduced office supplies and related office subsidiary services (Timms et al., 2015; Lawler & Boudreau, 2015).

Moreover, the telecommuting policy has been associated with reducing employees’ turnover. When employees get the option to work from home, their motivation and loyalty are improved, leading to working overtime out of convenience (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007). The positive attributes associated with telecommuting are beneficial to both the organization and the employees. Such benefits ultimately lead to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives, and therefore, maximum production and profits are realized.

Purpose of the Study

Telecommuting policies have been implemented by organizations globally with U.S, U.K, and China, leading with telecommuting work. However, many countries in both developing and developed countries continue to maintain a traditional work approach. This can be attributed to either lack of knowledge or ignorance on potential benefits associated with working from home. With available current technology that comes with computers and reliable internet connections, working from home becomes an option for most workers. However, people are still slow in adopting this telecommuting strategy despite having organizations that are way ahead benefiting from applying the telecommuting policy. Researchers have observed that big organizations can financially evaluate benefits of telecommuting in the form of financial benefits valuable in a million dollars annually (Baruch, 2000). These benefits can also be realized by small businesses who understand the cost-effectiveness of telecommuting in terms of thousand dollars annually (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007).

In this study, the effectiveness of the telecommuting pilot program will be investigated as applied by the diverse organization. These benefits will be examined in efforts to encourage organizations that have not adopted this program to implement it and possibly reap the associated benefits. Through the analysis of diverse literature and articles, the researcher will be able to make recommendations on the best way to take. That is, the researcher will make recommendations on approved benefits to convince the current organizational management to implement the telecommuting pilot program.

Scope of the Study

This study seeks to investigate:

1. Productivity improvements among telecommuting organizations.
2. Health and environmental concerns relative to the telecommuting pilot program.
3. Economic benefits of keeping the older generation back to work under the telecommuting pilot program.
4. Reducing costs of production through the telecommuting pilot program.
5. Reducing employee turnover through applying telecommuting pilot program.

Only organizations that have been applying the telecommuting pilot program will be considered in this study. Unless practical organizations are investigated, the study would be working on probability. However, the best way to convince an organization to apply the telecommuting strategy is by examining benefits realized by organizations that have already implemented the approach for more than one year to achieve the associated benefits.

Small businesses are deemed to realize cost benefits in terms of thousands, while big organizations realize these benefits in terms of millions annually. Therefore, levels of cost benefits through applying the telecommuting pilot program are achieved in comparison to levels cost of capital of a business. If the value of capital is high, the respect cost benefits are high too.

Primary concerns in the study will be on; work is done through telecommuting, work locations, and applicable telecommuting policy concerns. Work targets should be clearly defined before allowing the employee to telecommute. Means of work verifications should be well established before telecommuting, an approach that helps in determining quality targets. Working hours should be defined, such as 8 hours per day, while working days should be interpreted like working four days from home and two days in office (Baruch, 2000; Lawler & Boudreau, 2015).

On location concerns, the telecommuting pilot program should consider the types of equipment required to facilitate the telecommuting process. Computer and printer will be necessary, as well as the internet connection. Data security cannot be ignored, and therefore, the IP computer should be provided by the company to ensure data security. Equipment safety is also a concern that will require the company to inspect the place where the employee will be working when at home (Timms et al., 2015).

Telecommuting policy is the last primary concern that governs the overall employment terms, company privacy, and data confidentiality when allowing employees to telecommute. Since allowing some employees to telecommute will lead others to make similar demands, a policy should be in place determining who telecommutes and employees who cannot. The telecommuting period is thus defined in the policy. The strictness of the policy should also be established to assign responsible management in determining policy changes and constraints (Timms et al., 2015 & Hoskins, 2016).

Sources and Methods

The researchers conducted comprehensive research on literature and articles to determine the extent of telecommuting knowledge among organizations. Some organizations seemed aware of the benefits of telecommuting but had never implemented the practice. Others knew the benefits and had put the telecommuting pilot program into practice for some period. However, some organizations were aware of the existing telecommuting approaches but had no idea about the current benefits.

From the analysis, the researcher decided to conduct a qualitative research study method by reviewing existing literature, research projects, and articles. This enabled determination of the significances of telecommuting in organizations. Moreover, visible demerits were also pinpointed, but they were not significant enough to discourage the application of the telecommuting pilot program. The conclusion holds that telecommuting is an effective strategy in meeting organizational goals and objectives. The researcher would recommend organizations to apply for a telecommuting pilot program and realize benefits that have been experienced by organizations that adopted the strategy some years back. That have been experienced by organizations that adopted the strategy some years back.

References

1. Baruch, Y. (2000). Teleworking: benefits and pitfalls as perceived by professionals and managers. New technology, work and employment, 15(1), 34-49.
2. Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z.J. (2015). Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 165–218. doi:10.1093/qje/qju032. Accessed from https://nbloom.people.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj4746/f/wfh.pdf
3. Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of applied psychology, 92(6), 1524.
4. Hoskins, J. (2016). Understanding the Importance of a Telecommuting Policy. TechRepublic (Jul 10, 2016). Accessed from https://www.techrepublic.com/article/understanding-the-importance-of-a-telecommuting-policy/
5. Lawler, E. E., & Boudreau, J. W. (2015).Global Trends in Human Resource Management: A Twenty-Year Analysis. Stanford, California: Stanford Business Books. Retrieved from EBSCO eBooks in the Tuoro Library
6. Loubier, A. (2017). Benefits of Telecommuting for the Future of Work. Forbes (Jul 20, 2017). Accessed from https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrealoubier/2017/07/20/benefits-of-telecommuting-for-the-future-of-work/#7312510616c6
7. Timms, C., Brough, P., O’Driscoll, M., Kalliath, T., Siu, O. L., Sit, C., & Lo, D. (2015). Flexible work arrangements, work engagement, turnover intentions and psychological health. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), 83-103.
8. Yoder, S. (2013). 10 Best Jobs for Americans Over 65. The Fiscal Times (May 16, 2013). Accessed from www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/05/16/10-Best-Jobs-for-Americans-Over-65

We all grew up hearing it. Rapunzel: a tale of a beautiful, dutiful maiden, locked in a tower awaiting a gallant prince to save her from her isolation. But its 2020. Not all girls are weak and feeble. Not all men are bold and strong. Not everyone wants a prince.Since the earliest version of Rapunzel, some 400-years ago, the context has drastically changed. But how successfully have various adaptations of the tale Rapunzel remained relevant?

Lets first take a look at some of the older versions of the tale. For most texts, the role of fictional women does not diverge much from the original story Petrosinella (1643) by Giambattista Basile. Originally, Petrosinella (Rapunzel) is a girl locked away in a tower after her parents steal parsley from an ogress. She escapes with her magical abilities and defeats the ogress with the help of a prince. A simple plotline but brimming with adventure, bravery and romance.It starts to all go wrong when the Grimm Brothers come in, introducing a tale of dark turns and twists of teen pregnancy, falling out of towers, premarital sex and death – themes you could only call grim. But here’s what else the brothers do to the tale: they take a skilful and intelligent heroine and make her passive and naive.

Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm was originally written in 1812, but due to criticism of inappropriate themes for children, it was rewritten in 1857. This by itself reflects some issues. A story named after a female, written by men, critiqued by men, changed to please men. As Harvard Professor Maria Tartar puts it “rewriting the text provides us with concrete evidence of the changes the Grimms made to satisfy themselves and the German audience.”

This version of the tale certainly reflects its context, firstly, Rapunzel is no longer the main character. Our once brave Petrosinella has now lowered herself to a mere symbol in the story, a treasure that the prince embarks on a journey to claim. Rapunzel no longer has magic powers, and therefore loses the ability to defeat the witch (another trouble female added to the story!). The tower acts as a symbol of chastity, but Rapunzel becomes impregnated after an encounter with her prince, and she raises twins alone. The Grimm Brothers use this as a warning to girls on the dangers of sexual activity.

Let’s just clarify why this would be an undesirable tale for young readers. Don’t get me wrong, these once served as a cautionary warning to young 19th-century girls and provides a historic lens into the morals at the time. But now? They shouldn’t be more than history books.Young girls should not still be reading this to expand their imagination when the only characters they can be are the dutiful maidens or the haggish witches. And here’s where Tangled got it right. To some extent. On November 24th 2010, Walt Disney Studios released Tangled to the world, advertising a ‘very modern heroine’ and aims to ‘reverse audience expectations.’ A classic fairy tale, we’d all heard as children, brought to life. And we were all crossing our fingers that it would do us justice. And for the most part, it did. We got an adventurous cheeky princess armed with a frying pan. She even rocked a pixie cut at the end and falls in love with a “bad boy” thief.

The filmmakers are clearly attempting to create an active heroine figure. An intrinsic element of her bubbly character is her own aspirations and dreams, the plot is predominantly centred around her desire to see the floating lanterns at the palace. She’s curious, and craves adventure, sure the prince encourages her to escape, but she is fueled by her own desires.

Most importantly though, is, of course, her lengthy gold locks, in earlier tales a symbol of virginity. Rapunzel’s hair is untouched, uncut and is part of the reason she is locked up, to protect her magic hair from the outside. Eventually, Rapunzel uses her own hair to escape the tower first, symbolising a disregard for the traditional expectations. In final scenes, her hair is cut short, to the witch’s shock, which kills her as she falls out the window. Rapunzel’s hair turns brown, loses its magical abilities and becomes shorter than that of the male thief.Unfortunately, this film is a bit too good to be true. As good as if sounds, I felt a bit disarmed by how traditional the film still remains. Deeply entrenched conservatism is still harboured in Disney films who as fairy tale theorist Jack Zipes states “tend to demonise older women and infantilise young women.” This suggests that Disney has still stuck to the formulaic characteristics of gender. Moreover, Disney’s portrayal of older women seems to stray from the original representation with the creation of Mother Gothel who is the evil witch leeching on Rapunzel to remain youthful. In the earlier works the ‘witch’ or ‘witch figure’ only plays a minor role in the story and their identity is ambiguous. Zipes goes further to state that the film “trampled over the Grimms’ and other versions of the tale” as he believes Mother Gothel should be a well-meaning character, protecting Rapunzel from the outside world.Additionally, there have been controversies surrounding her appearance, as the film seems to promote long blonde hair as the epitome of femininity, which challenges the idea that women of non-white ethnicities are feminine or desired. Furthermore, ‘beauty’ in the film is depicted still as thin, blonde and white, and whilst Disney would stick to the German origins of the fairy tale, the film lacked any size and ethnic diversity with minor female characters.

Ultimately, despite the problematic lack of cultural diversity and the conservation of the older women villain archetype, the reimagining of Rapunzel as an active heroine shows promise and signifies a step in the right direction.

Volunteering refers to a person willingly offering services to the society without expecting in return. Volunteering can be as simple as giving a helping hand to a person to lift up a heavy bag to rendering time and services in activities organised by any non-profit organisation. Having volunteering experience on one’s records has become increasingly important in today’s corporate world. As companies are more inclined towards CSR (corporate social responsibility) to standout in this competitive market, they are also looking for employees that have contributed and are willing to contribute towards society.

Benefits of volunteering in active job search

Builds your resume

If you are starting a career in a new place or a different country, volunteering helps you gain experience in this new field. It helps to better depict your resume in between all the other. It shows that even if you are an outsider you have the potential to deal with new situations and circumstances. Along with the qualities and educational skills you possess it shows that you also know how to use them and contribute to the society. Having a volunteering experience has never been a bad impression on some, instead has made the person look smarter.

Opportunity to meet new people

Volunteering has always been proven the best medium of connecting with people, rather than attending high status networking events. Here the environment is friendly and welcoming. You don’t feel like you are pushing yourself on someone to like you, instead they like you because you share the same interest as to the person you meet. And they are willing to accept you in their culture because you are contributing your energy in return

Refining your skills or learn new skills.

Volunteering helps you develop your soft skills. As you constantly meet people it helps you improve your vocabulary, improve the pitch of your voice, boost confidence in communicating with new people. It might also help you learn new language. It helps you to learn qualities like team work, punctuality, adapt to the changes in the working environment. How to dress according to the events or any kind of job that you are looking for. To sum it up volunteering helps you become a better, presentable person.

Determining career goals

If you are confused in “Which career path should I select?” or “Which job opportunity should I seek, so as to bring out the best in me?” the only solution to these questions is volunteering. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to know yourself and analyse where you fit in the best. Hence making easier for you at the time of job search as you already know which field you want to apply and nurture yourself.

Real work experience

Volunteering helps you gain practical knowledge of working in real life, especially if you have newly graduated and don’t know what to do next. It helps you prepare for interviews as you learn about your likes and dislikes and can easily answer the question “Tell me about yourself” asked by the interviewer. It also provides a strong reference while applying for a job.

Enrich your life

It’ll offer new life experiences and insights into social and developmental issues, also because the inner workings of non-governmental and community organizations. it’d provide you with the chance to travel abroad and knowledge diverse cultures, assisting local communities or environmental projects while seeing the globe at the identical time.

Reasons why people choose volunteering

1. It’s a safe way to bridge the gap between you and others who might think you’re ‘different.’

Volunteering with these groups allows for the opportunity to broaden your horizons and explore other religions and cultures. Examples of volunteer opportunities are teaching abroad or working with refugees which encourage people from different backgrounds to come together as one.

2. Volunteering sets good example for other

Volunteers can encourage others to get active by participating to make a positive difference in the world. It set a great example for young children too. Great examples of how to create a love for service in others include serving food in a local soup kitchen, heading a business team to collect funds for a charity run, or partnering with at-risk youth on an after-school program.

3. It’s important to do well

We’re flooded with discouraging news stories each day. Community service presents a diligent way of doing something to create a better place for the world. Even the slightest movements are making a huge difference. And if we’re all banding around each other, those little movements can contribute to a massive change. For instance, when we contribute to the Salvation Army clothes and toys, we are supporting our community by donating, creating jobs in thrift stores, and offering a source for others to buy the things they need at a reasonable price.

4. Volunteering gives greater self-awareness and insight

It is likely that people may face to face with some very heart-wrenching scenarios, depending on the source. As a volunteer they are expected to remain a relaxed and positive mentality. Dealing with these situations can cause them to challenge their perspective of the world and their personal life choices.

5. Volunteering is good for society

Many businesses, and almost all mission-driven organizations, are successful only if they maintain a strong volunteer workforce. In fact, places like museums, social service organizations, and faith-based organizations often rely on more volunteers than paid workers to meet their goals and fulfill their mission. These businesses are committed to doing good things for society. They pick up the pieces where government programs leave off, and by volunteering for these organizations, you participate in helping society meet the needs of people from all walks of life.

6. Volunteering gives you a sense of purpose

A key factor is assumed to be that volunteering serves to express and facilitate opportunities to carry out one’s sense of purpose. The very nature of volunteering means choosing to work without being paid for it. As a result, people choose to spend their time on issues they feel strongly about. If you are greatly concerned about the treatment and well-being of animals, for example, volunteering at an animal shelter will help you address a social problem that is meaningful to you.

Why do people not want to volunteer?

Research has mainly focused on why people do volunteer rather than why they do not want to volunteer. It has been shown that 90% population want to volunteer but there are some common reasons which prevent them to do so and these reasons are briefly explained below:

1. Less Availability of Time

Owing to the hectic lifestyle, people do not have enough time to do a lot of jobs because volunteer schedules are too inflexible. Mostly the young population does volunteer but these aged group people are involved in full- time jobs which become the biggest barrier to go for this good work. Apart from this, people have to spend time with their families which leads to a lack of time for volunteering. Due to this people nowadays want to do volunteering from their households such as doing some online work, perform some short-activities with their families.

2. Less Interesting

People always want those type of jobs mostly in which they find some entertainment but as we know the volunteering roles are not for entertainment purpose instead of a social cause. So, people want to spend their leisure time for some recreational activities not for volunteering. To overcome this issue experienced volunteers should motivate people to get involved in volunteering by explaining their personal experience that if they do it by heart, they can find it interesting and they can improve their skills and knowledge.

3. Lack of Information

As discussed, earlier people are not interested in volunteering, therefore they do not have much information about it. In contrast, some people want to volunteer but do not have enough information about what, how and where to do. Added to this, sometimes their skills do not match with the provided roles. So, it the duty of non- profit organizations to provide proper information about the work they are doing for a social cause as well as clearly mention the skills needed to do a particular job during volunteering.

4. Lack of Appreciation

Because people want something for something that is why they do not want to do any job without rewards. Volunteering helps in improving intellectual skills such as empathy, motivation, and social skills but does not provide incentives therefore people do not want to go for volunteering. So, it is the responsibility of volunteering organizations to give some rewards for the time invested by volunteers and they can appreciate them by sending handwritten thank you notes and can show that they are valuable for them.

5. Previous Bad Experience

Due to bad experience in volunteering people had faced, they do not want to involve in volunteering because sometimes people do volunteer which is not worthy for them such as it does not increase their skills and some times they have a mismatch in their role and skills. Additionally, people do not find a welcoming environment due to poor organization like they have denied for assigning jobs on a timely basis. Sometimes, experienced volunteers do not behave friendly with new entrants instead of this give them orders to do jobs but volunteering as we know do not base on the superior-subordinate scenario it is all about sharing hands for social benefit.

6. Lack of Confidence

People become less confident when they go out of their comfort zone, this mostly happens in volunteering. Volunteers mostly have to do jobs that are not related to their regular work, so they do not feel comfortable while doing volunteering. People also have fear of getting blamed for the failure of a particular volunteer event which can spoil their confidence. Moreover, people feel less confident to work with more knowledgeable and experienced people who had done work before as a volunteer.

Conclusion

These are some volunteer programs I would like to do in the near future. These non-profit organization’s programs give us an opportunity to volunteer our community in different ways.

World Wildlife Fund Canada is the country’s largest international conservation organization, with the active support of hundreds of thousands of Canadians. For half a century, WWF-Canada has worked to protect the future of nature. They connect the power of a strong global network to on-the-ground conservation efforts across the nation. Their mission is to reverse the decline of wildlife and maintain healthy marine ecosystems on coasts in Canada. Another compliance starts with the transition to 100 percent habitat-friendly renewable energy and climate-smart land use. Moreover, they give more emphasis on vibrant and ecologically sound future for the Arctic.

WoodGreen Community Services is one of the largest social service agencies in Toronto. Their community mainly seeking caring and compassionate individuals who can provide companionship and social support to socially isolated seniors. Our time will help to reduce their loneliness and improve their quality of life. Volunteer’s time, talent and energy is crucial to the success of this program. They need volunteers are committed to doing one or two hours per week for a 3-month minimum period. Being consistently reliable is a key attribute of this position

Roots of Empathy is a program for elementary school children. Its aim is to increase empathy; the ability to understand how another person feels and to feel with them. The program is proven to reduce aggression and increase caring, sharing kindness. Roots of Empathy is in multiple countries and has reached almost one million children. Volunteer Instructors are trained to deliver all aspects of the Roots of Empathy program to children in the classroom.

The Central Ontario Developmental Riding Program (CODRP) / Pride Stables offers therapeutic horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities. Lessons are held during the autumn, winter, spring and summer. Over 340 riders from Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and surrounding areas use the ability weekly, assisted by quite 400 incredible volunteers. During 8 weeks within the summer months, Camp Pride, a totally integrated camp, is fully operation with near 200 children attending. During each lesson, riders learn the fundamentals of riding a horse, reckoning on their abilities. the advantages of horseback riding are multidimensional. The instruction of lessons relies on sequencing, which enables each rider to find out at their own pace. Participating in weekly lessons also builds special friendships between the rider, their horse, volunteers and staff members. Therapeutic horseback riding uses the horse as a medium of therapy.

Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward -Hastings is supported through the retail sales of The ReStore. A business establishment surpass the affiliate and stocked generous donations of latest and gently used home improvement materials, furniture, home décor, and more. Retail Personnel provide assistance to The ReStore by preparing merchandise purchasable (cleaning and straightforward repairs), creating floor displays, customer service, housekeeping duties, loading and unloading donations, and preparing some items for scrap recycling or disposal. Retail Personnel will mostly work indoors but are going to be exposed to the outside when loading/unloading vehicles or working within the recycling/waste area.

Reference

1. https://www.randstad.ca/job-seeker/career-resources/workplace-culture/volunteering-isnt-just-socially-responsible-its-good-for-your-career/
2. https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-careerboosting-reasons-you-should-volunteer-in-addition-to-the-fact-that-it-makes-you-a-good-person
3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-third-age/201403/5-reasons-why-you-should-volunteer
4. https://buildabroad.org/2017/10/13/why-is-volunteering-important/
5. www.theconversation.com www.longevity.stanford.edu www.donordirect.com
6. https://www.sparkontario.ca/

Hunters and anglers are two of the strongest components to wildlife conservation and keeping a healthy ecosystem. There tends to be controversy that surrounds the activity of hunting, but the fact is that it is really a natural human instinct that has evolved to become a vital role in society to this day. When laws and regulations are respected, hunting maintains a balanced environment for species of all kinds and is extremely beneficial for society as well. Humans and wildlife both benefit in many ways from hunting.

Conservation is an extremely important responsibility for those who hunt wild animals. It is important for hunters to think wisely when choosing an area in which they will hunt. Conserving the natural habitat includes picking an area where the hunter will create minimal impact. This means being careful to disturb as little of the surrounding environment as possible, such as settling in a spot where the least amount of vegetation must be removed. (PA Game Commission.) Hunters will manipulate tree branches or plants to create an optimal hiding spot where they can make their shot, all the while remaining concealed. For example, someone setting up a deer stand in a tree must be mindful as to not damage the habitat of birds, squirrels, and other animals that depend on trees for living. Preservation of the natural habitat of wildlife requires extensive efforts; therefore it is necessary for hunters to respect the natural habitat in which their game lives by creating as little damage to the environment as possible.

Along with enforcing rules in order to preserve wildlife habitats, each state has its own set of laws that protect animal populations by determining which species may be hunted. There is also legislature in some states that prohibit the transportation of certain live game in or out of the state; which also includes regulations on how carcasses may be transported. These regulations are specific to members of the deer family. They require that in order to cross state lines, the carcass must be cleaned and processed to be free of brain matter and the spinal cord. This is due to the fact that these parts of the carcass may potentially carry the infective and contagious pathogens of chronic wasting disease. (Alliance, CWD.) This applies strongly to members of the deer family, including whitetail deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Cleansing the carcass prevents the spread of pathogens or disease to other wildlife or human populations. The prevention of spreading these diseases such as bovine tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease helps maintain healthy populations within wildlife.

Another restriction that conserves wildlife is that of quantity control. There are laws that state how many of a certain animal or bird may be hunted in a set amount of time. Limits may vary between states and even counties, depending on the environment and population. Placing restrictions on the quantity of animals that may be killed prevents over hunting and endangerment of species.

The Duck Stamp Act, historically known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp was established in 1934 on March 16th. This federal act requires anyone wishing to hunt waterfowl to obtain a license to do so. Ninety eight percent of the proceeds from purchasing this stamp go towards the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. This fund manages habitats of migratory species of birds and waterfowl. The conservation commission was established on February 18th, in 1929.

Duck stamps are adhesive collectible stamps that hunters must obtain by purchase before hunting geese, duck, or other wild birds. Different from a collector stamp, a hunter’s stamp contains personal information such as the name and age of the owner. Some include a serial number to distinguish the individual. A collector’s stamp is different, they include artwork that may be commissioned, and the artist signs the stamp for the collector. Common artworks include scenery of nature or wildlife.

The funds that are collected from the population of hunters purchasing Duck Stamps is, for the most part, deposited into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. Working hand in hand with the North American Wetland Conservation Act, these partnerships work to manage and protect wetlands and other habitats for migratory birds and other wildlife that are native to North America. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service states on the official government website that since the year of 1934, the sales of federal Duck Stamps for bird hunters have raised over one billion dollars in efforts to conserve over six million acres of waterfowl habitat. The official website of the Fish and Wildlife Service also confirms that 98% of funds collected from selling Duck Stamps is directed towards conservation of wildlife habitats. This is beneficial to existing species, the natural order and food chain, and future generations of society who will continue to depend on natural resources.

The Duck Stamp overall is extremely beneficial to all aspects of wildlife and to humans as well. Hunters gladly purchase their required stamps because they ensure a healthy habitat for the wildlife they hunt. Many hunters will also purchase the collector’s stamps, because they increase the value of the overall stamp and will in turn contribute even more to conservation.

There are many other aspects to hunting besides The Duck Stamp that are beneficial to the economy. It is also not the only type of license that must be acquired for hunting. Other permits are required by state, depending on the type of animal that is being hunted. Along with waterfowl and deer, many other animals are popular game such as turkey, hogs or small fur-bearing mammals. Hunters are often required to obtain separate permits specific to what animal they are hunting, and laws may vary by state.

Along with licenses, many other things affect the economy, and directly translate back to wildlife and habitat conservation. Equipment such as guns, bows, traps, and other weapons may be used to harvest wild game. Hunters must also take into account their budget for gear, bait, vehicles, and travel or lodging expenses for their hunting trips. All of these aspects help keep the economy moving in respect to wildlife management. People who hunt have a special interest in wildlife, and want to maintain healthy habitats in which to do so. As long as there are hunters, there will be equipment that must be purchased. The need for weaponry and other equipment will provide jobs for those who produce these materials.

Another way hunting can be beneficial to wildlife is the use of population control. One of the most popular species to be hunted in the United States is deer. With the increase of availability to grocery store meat, less people rely on deer as a food source. (Ferguson; USFWS). While many people still enjoy hunting their own food, deer populations have increased significantly, and overpopulation can have troublesome effects on the environment for humans and other animals.

Overpopulation of a species often results in a shortage of food supply for those animals in the area. Deer are a very common species susceptible to overpopulation. When deer are hungry, they may venture into a neighborhood in search of food, and in the process may hurt themselves or other humans. Deer are also notorious for causing car accidents in areas that they are overpopulated in, mostly in the process of searching for food. They often find themselves in suburban neighborhoods or on highways and roads. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety states that West Virginia, Montana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa are the top five states in reference to collisions with deer and related species. (Insurance Information Institute). Hunting for population control balances out the ratio of animals to resources. Similar to deer, alligators are another species that tend to easily overflow if not managed. (Woodward and David). An extremely positive result of population control is not only maintaining balance, (Congressional Sportsmen Foundation) but the surplus of meat can be sold or donated to feed hungry or less fortunate people as well. The hides of some animals may also be treated for human use, such as clothing. This is a common practice in many other countries of the world, where hunters will utilize every bit of an animal they can.

Another reason to utilize population control is for farmlands and crops. Several different species such as whitetail deer, wild hogs, or turkeys have been known to invade corn or wheat crops. While abiding by all necessary laws and the wishes of the farmer, hunters may eliminate the invading animals and put the meat and hides to good use. This practice balances out populations, maintains the crops and keeps them thriving, and provides nourishing meat, thus benefiting humans all at the same time.

Another way that hunting benefits humans is that the entire process of hunting and environmental conservation provides a wide array of available careers for people who love the outdoors, or are simply passionate about nature and wildlife. Some of these careers include game hunters, farmers, zoologists, and conservationists. Similar conservatory jobs include educational ones, such as a wildlife park rangers, teachers, or researchers. Even for people who may not want to get outdoors and do the hunting themselves, there are many jobs involving gear or weapon development that allow hunters to practice what they do.

Along with the many benefits that the environment receives from hunting, there are several reasons why it is a great activity for humans. First and foremost, it provides the hunter with fresh, unprocessed, natural meat. Mostly everyone has access to a grocery store these days, but many people in the United States make the personal choice to continue this natural practice. Hunting is also great physical exercise from scouting out prey, traveling along woodlands, setting and collecting traps, and using firearms or bows.

Some people make the choice to live far enough away from civilization, or “off the grid.” In this instance, hunting for meat is a necessity. For a person who does everything manually and is self sustaining, the nutrients and calories that come from meat are required for the human body. As well as the physical benefits that are received from hunting, it can also be beneficial to a person’s social and emotional health. Getting outdoors in the fresh air, and either spending quality time with a friend or family member, or enjoying peaceful time alone with nature can boost a person’s happiness.

Although there are several reasons as to why hunting is beneficial to both humans and wildlife, there are valid arguments and concerns that some people have against the activity. Some of these concerns may be due to a lack of understanding, or a misconception about the type of hunting.

Some people may confuse hunting with poaching. Poaching is the illegal killing or capturing of wild animals. However, federal laws regulate legal hunting so that it may benefit both nature and society. Regulation controls the amount of animals killed and sets restrictions on certain times when they may be hunted. (US Fish and Wildlife Service). The reason that there are so many laws and regulations on hunting is to avoid this practice. Poaching is usually done to show off the animal as a prize, or to utilize parts of the animal for money such as hides, skins, horns, or tusks. This practice is often seen in Asian and African countries with animals such as elephants, rhinos, tigers, and bears. (WWF) However, poaching can be seen in the United States involving black bears, sheep, sharks, and even deer. Poachers usually kill the animal because they are seen as extremely valuable. For example, a poacher may kill too many deer at a time, or in the wrong area. A common reason for this is to collect the antlers and head as a trophy. Overhunting of any species, especially endangered ones, can have detrimental effects on the environment. Luckily, there are organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, (WWF,) that work to prevent the act of poaching. This is a federal crime which is punishable by fine, conviction, and a lifetime revocation of hunting privileges.

People who are unfamiliar with the practice of hunting may feel that killing an animal in its natural habitat is cruel. To feel a wide range of emotions at the thought of taking any sort of life is a perfectly reasonable reaction. However, it may be considered that it is more humane to capture an animal that has lived a free life in the wild, than an animal that likely was raised in tight spaces, or injected with antibiotics and steroids to stimulate muscle growth. (Hofer) Hunting for food is a natural human instinct, and is simply a part of the food chain that dates back before modern civilization.

Another common argument against hunting is that it is unnecessary in modern times, where society has access to meat just about everywhere. Oftentimes, the area and culture in which a person lives can affect their personal beliefs. Hunting is popular in southern areas of the United States, as well as less populated and more natural areas such as mountains or woodland areas. The availability and quality of food in a certain area affects a person’s diet and health choices. Hunting for food supplies many nutritional and financial benefits for humans.

Both human and wildlife populations rely on each other in order to maintain stability within the shared environments. Humans hunt for various reasons including harvesting for food, population control to maintain neighborhoods and farm crops, and as an outdoor hobby. Aside from hunting for meat, the practice plays a large role in preserving wildlife, especially due to the fact that the majority of funds that go into hunting are returned into conservation efforts. The 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was also the founder of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which conserves America’s plants and wildlife to this day.

In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen,” the 26th president of the United States said years ago. “The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination. (Theodore Roosevelt).

Works Cited

1. Abram, Tracie. “Health Benefits of Hunting.” Native Plants and Ecosystem Services, Michigan State University | College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, 4 Oct. 2018, www.canr.msu.edu/news/health_benefits_of_hunting.
2. Alliance, CWD. “Carcass Transportation Regulations in the United States and Canada.” CWD Alliance, 2018, cwd-info.org/carcass-transportation-regulations-in-the-united-states-and-canada/.
3. “Duck Stamp Dollars at Work.” Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, 2018, www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp/duck-stamp-dollars-at-work.php.
4. “11 Facts About Poaching Animals.” DoSomething.org www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-poaching-animals.
5. “Facts + Statistics: Deer Vehicle Collisions.” III, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-deer-vehicle-collisions.
6. Ferguson, Travis. “The Great Decline: How to Solve Hunter Participation.” The Revolution with Jim & Trav, 7 June 2018, outdoortrailsnetwork.com/expert-advice/the-great-decline-how-to-solve-hunter-participation.
7. Good, Kate. “5 Types of Poaching Happening Right Here in the U.S.” One Green Planet, 11 Apr. 2014, www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/5-types-of-poaching-happening-right-here-in-the-u-s/.
8. Hofer, Jake. “Top 3 Anti-Hunting Arguments and How to Counter Them.” Wide Open Spaces, Wide Open Spaces, 22 Nov. 2016, www.wideopenspaces.com/what-you-can-actually-do-to-dampen-anti-hunter-impact/.
9. “Hunting for Tree Stand Regulations?” From the Field, 20 Nov. 2017, pagamecommission.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/hunting-for-tree-stand-regulations/.
10. “Hunting.” Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, 12 Feb. 2018, www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/hunters-as-conservationists/.
11. “Illegal Wildlife Trade.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade.
12. “Index W.” Brief Biography – Theodore Roosevelt Association, www.theodoreroosevelt.org/site/c.elKSIdOWIiJ8H/b.9294927/k.CAA7/Index_W.htm.
13. Randhawa, Kenny. “Effects on the Environment.” Hunting, regulatehunting.blogspot.com/p/huntings-affect-on-world.html.
14. Wagner, Greg. “Why Hunting Is Important” NEBRASKALand Magazine, 23 Aug. 2017, magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2017/08/109097/.
15. “White-Tailed Deer Management: Hunting as a Preferred Management Tool.” CSF, congressionalsportsmen.org/policies/state/white-tailed-deer-management.

While I am in a Psychology class I learn about many psychological concepts, but it is neat to be able to witness them outside of school. Over Thanksgiving break, I saw several psychological concepts being lived out right in front of me. I never realized how many times a day these concepts are used until now. The psychological concepts that I saw being used were hindsight bias, lack of conservation, authority, and positive reinforcement.

Every Thanksgiving the Dallas Cowboys football team plays and my family gathers to eat food and watch the game. The Cowboys lost and at the end of the game my grandpa said to me, “We all knew that was going to happen.” Frankly, I did not know that was going to happen and I doubt that he did either. My grandpa seemed to be very confident in what he was saying; he was an example of the psychological concept of hindsight bias. Hindsight bias is a phenomenon where people overestimate their ability to predict an outcome. Most people tend to say, “I knew it all along,” when too often we actually did not know it. Hindsight bias tends to make people overconfident in their ability to make judgments and ultimately impacts how they do it.

Speaking of judgments, there is a fun game you can play with children who are typically two to six years old. If you have two balls of playdough and you ask the child which one has more dough or if they are the same, they will usually say that they are the same. Then you flatten one of the balls and ask them the same question, the child will say the one still round has more because of a lack of conservation. I tried this game on my 3-year-old cousin and he told me that when I flattened the playdough, the other one had more even though they both still had the exact same amount. My cousin was experiencing a lack of conservation. Lack of conservation is when people have the inability to understand that quantity of something remains the same even when they change shape. This concept is very common in children, as seen through my little cousin.

During Thanksgiving, my mom is in charge of cooking and always tells my sister and me what we need to do in order to help. My sister was making mashed potatoes and I told her to add an ingredient which she refused to do. Next thing you know, my mom told her to add the ingredient and she automatically listened. Stanley Milgram did a study on authority that concluded that people have a higher tendency to comply with authority figures. In this case, my sister would not listen to me but would listen to my mom who has more authority in the house. A lot of people obey orders from authority because it can lead to rewards and also avoid any possible negative consequences that could follow.

Everyone at Thanksgiving was gathered in the dining room to eat dinner. My dog was going around to everyone eating and begging for food. My mom told my dog to lie down on her pillow in the living room and when she did, she gave her a treat. My dog came back into the dining room, looked at my mom, then ran to her pillow again. Casey, my dog, continued to lay on her bed because she knew that if she stayed there, she would get a treat. Positive reinforcement is used to help increase the probability that a certain behavior will occur again in the future by presenting the desired stimulus. The dog was presented with a treat so that she would perform the same action again later.

All of the psychological concepts mentioned were ones that we learned in class. We learned about how these determinants of behavior are influenced by cultural and social contexts today. Learning about them helped me to be able to pick them out in real life and identify them in action. Although there are many psychological concepts that could be used, the ones that I experienced during Thanksgiving break were hindsight bias, lack of conservation, authority, and positive reinforcement.

On the evening of May 9, 1996, large groups of climbers stationed at Camp IV, situated 8,000 meters on the South Col route of Mount Everest, were preparing summit the peak of the world’s highest mountain. Throughout the day a series of dangerously high winds had persisted, and the windows of opportunity for summiting were narrowing drastically. When the winds began to calm down in the evening, the climbers advanced on the opportunity and embarked on the 18 to 24 hour round-trip expedition to the mountain’s summit. The following afternoon, the mountain was hit with severe windstorms, heavy snowfall, and rapidly falling temperatures. 17 climbers were left stranded, and by the following day, the storm had claimed the lives of 8 climbers (Krakauer). At the time, this marked the greatest loss of life in a single day in Everest’s history and, with 12 overall deaths over the course of the 1996 season, the deadliest year on the mountain. The disaster shocked the world, who mourned the deaths of seasoned, experienced climbers such as New Zealand’s Rob Hall and America’s Scott Fisher. For many, it was a sobering realization of the sheer magnitude of Everest’s capabilities – the beginning of the 21st century had marked a new generation of Everest climbers, consisting of novice mountaineers embarking on inexperienced expeditions at cheaper rates. The country of Nepal, ranked among one of the poorest countries in the world, has long depended on tourism as a vital economic lifeline. Every time Mount Everest takes an environmental or climatic hit, Nepal’s tourism industry takes a hit as well. With global coronavirus fears temporarily closing down the mountain, it has become significantly more obvious the extent to which Nepal relies on the climbing industry for sustainability, and how Nepal’s dependency on tourism has diminished the prestige that the mountain very well may require.

Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, were the very first climbers to stand on the top of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. Actual attempts to summit the mountain began in 1921, with two British Expedition teams failing in both 1921 and 1922 before two members got close in 1924. George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were believed to have made it just 800 feet from the summit before they succumbed to the bad weather. Following his conquest of the 29,035-foot mountain, Hillary would later write, “When we climbed Everest in 1953 I really believed that the story had finished”. Both he and Tenzing would never attempt the climb again. However, the legacy of the expedition was unavoidable, and since Hillary and Tenzing’s initial ascent, over 4,000 climbers have since successfully summited the mountain. With the sudden and large spike in popularity surrounding extreme climbing and mountaineering, a fair amount of controversy and criticism now surrounds the ascent up the world’s tallest peak. Jamling Tenzing, the son of Tenzing Norgay who completed the climb in 1996, claimed that “his late father would have been shocked to discover that rich thrill-seekers with no climbing experience were now routinely reaching the summit” (Harding). In the decades following Hillary and Norgay’s first summit, only the most elite climbers even attempted the feat of climbing the mountain. However, by 1996, climbing Mount Everest had evolved into a multi-million dollar industry.

The high Himalayan regions of Nepal have become the foremost center of mountaineering and trekking in all of Asia. It’s the small-scale adventure tourism of climbing Everest that links this once relatively remote part of the world with the global economy and continues to provide new opportunities for economic development. Much of the high- and middle-altitude sections of northeastern Nepal are inhabited by Sherpas, members of a Himalayan people famously renowned for the skill in mountaineering. In Stanley F. Stevens article ‘Tourism, Change, and Continuity in the Mount Everest Region, Nepal’, he discusses the patterns that have transformed Nepal into a thriving tourism industry. He explains how the first Europeans and Americans only entered the area as recently as the 1950s, and until 1964 the region was limited to mountaineering expeditions only. As recently as 1971, the Mount Everest region locally known as Khumbu hosted hardly a thousand total visitors. By the end of the 1980s tourists reached numbers of more than 8,000 annual visitors, and today more than 90% of those visitors are trekkers. As a whole, Nepal does not receive much tourism beyond those wishing to embark on Everest expeditions. According to Stevens, “Trekking and mountaineering have thus far been much more significant for regional development than has high-spending elite tourism” (Stevens). Sherpas began to establish official tourism businesses in the late 1960s, and by the 1980s nearly 15% of all Khumbu households operated family inns or stores.

Today, Nepal’s tourism industry pulls in around half a billion dollars annually. Although the country is rich with culture and religious tradition, the tourists with the most money and longest stays primarily travel to the country to tackle the largest peak in the Himalayas. Trekking and climbing are an extremely vital source of revenue and income for the Asian country, with almost 1.2 million tourists visiting Nepal in 2018 alone (Conger). According to the World Tourism and Travel Council, over a million jobs are generated by tourism in Nepal, and thousands of seasonal residents migrate from other areas of Nepal for tourism-related employment. Sherpas or mountain guides, for example, can make anywhere upwards of $2,000 per expedition, far exceeding the average annual income of a Nepalese worker. For one of the 25,000 annual Everest tourists, a government-issued climbing permit runs around $3,350. Deciding to take the most common route to the top of the mountain sets a climber back $25,000 in royalty fees to the Nepalese Government, or even up to $70,000 for a full expedition crew. The Nepalese rely on other, smaller expenses as well, including lodging, food, and any additional supplies that aren’t covered by overall expedition fees. In addition to trekking businesses, “more than 300 hotels and lodges have sprung up from the tourism, many of which are owned by local Sherpa people” (Conger). In March of 2020, the decision by the Nepal Government to cancel all trekking and climbing permits in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic brought what was once a steady flow of tourists to an abrupt halt.

For those who make their living along the major trekking routes, whether as guides, porters, or guesthouse owners, the halt in tourism is a devastating blow. Hoteliers who stockpile in advance are seeing their purchases go to waste, and Nepal’s tourist district of Thamel, located in the capital city of Kathmandu, suffered a heavy hit from the lack of visitors. Crowds of climbers have long sustained the small country, but Nepal’s reliance on their tourism industry does not come without controversy. As recently as 2019, Nepal’s tourism board had to defend the number of climbing permits they issued following a season in which 11 people died on the expedition. Recent years have seen major concerns surrounding the sheer number of climbers on Mount Everest, which often result in dangerous traffic jams on perilous parts of the trek to the top. According to Grayson Schaffer, editor at Outside magazine, “The danger there is that, at that altitude, the body just can’t survive. They’re breathing bottled oxygen. And when that oxygen runs out because you’re waiting in line, you are at much higher risk for developing high-altitude edemas and altitude sickness – and dying of those illnesses while you’re still trying to reach the summit” (Wamsley). As of 2019, Nepal’s government didn’t put a specific limit on climbing permits. Thus, tension continues to exist between the nation of Nepal and the climbing conditions of Everest. Experts claim that the mountain’s overflow of inexperienced climbers is both damaging to the prestige of the mountain and a dangerous risk for the safety of all climbers alike, but Nepal depends on the large crowds of those willing to purchase permits to keep their small economy functioning.

Following the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, Peter Hillary published an opinion piece to the New York Times titled ‘Everest is Mighty, We Are Fragile’. In the piece, Peter, the son of Sir Edmund Hillary, claimed that, “On the great mountains of the world there is constancy, and the Everest that took the lives of George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irvine in the 1920s is the same Everest that was finally climbed by my father, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay in 1953…the same summit I climbed on May 10, 1990, with Rob Hall and Gary Ball on a brilliantly sunny day, and it is the same Everest that took the lives of eight climbers, including Rob, in a terrible storm on May 10, 1996” (Hillary). His piece emphasized the “unbridled might of the mountain”, where he highlighted the fact that not even experience in climbing or the skill of famous alpine leaders is enough to conquer the mountain in the worst of circumstances. Although Hillary’s essay was somber in tone as he mourned the loss of his friends and colleagues, he seemed opportunistic about encouraging risk-takers to embark on the bold journey to the top of the mountain, claiming that “every success by an individual is an inspiration for his or her community”. Today, 24 years after the disaster and the publication of Hillary’s piece, sentiments regarding inexperienced climbers are much less optimistic. Although Everest’s most infamous year to date, the 1996 season is not the mountain’s most tragic in terms of fatalities. In both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, various tragedies led to the deaths of over a dozen people. On April 18, 2014, 16 sherpas were killed in an avalanche near the notorious Khumbu Ice Fall. On April 25, 2015, 19 people died in avalanche at base camp. As recently as 2019, 11 people died on Everest, where the season saw a record-setting number of climbers (Wengel).

Research on mountaineering tourism has shown that the large increases in numbers of climbers can be explained by the transformation of mountaineering from personal exploration to a commercial guided-tour industry set to capitalize on accessibility to large mountains, affordable transportation, and advanced equipment. Essentially, this increase in commercial “adventure sports” means that seasoned, or professional, mountaineers are oftentimes severely outnumbered by tourists whose ambitions ultimately exceed their climbing skills. Today, roughly 90% of the climbers on Mount Everest are there as a part of a guided expedition, in which a tour leader takes a group of paid clients – many without fundamental basic climbing skills – up the mountain. Another common issue with Everest tourism revolves around client expectations. Having paid anywhere from $30,000 to $120,000 to be on the mountain alone, a majority of guided climbers expect to reach the summit (Wengel). A significant number succeed in this, but often under dangerous conditions. The two standard climbing routes, the Northeast Ridge and Southeast Ridge, are not only dangerously overcrowded but also terribly polluted. Not to mention, the primary treks are now littered with corpses.

An increase in visitor numbers has also left irreversible evidence on the face of the mountain in the form of trash. Old tents, fixed ropes, used bottles of oxygen, human waste, and other forms of garbage are evidence of hundreds of climbing expeditions that have visited the mountain. Recent trends in climbing styles and ethics have helped emphasize the importance of summiting with little to no regard for environmental concerns. Not to mention, the accumulation suffers at the hands of the sheet volume of climber days at both Base Camp and on the mountain itself. In Brent Bishop and Chris Naumann’s article ‘Mount Everest: Reclamation of the World’s Highest Junk Yard’, the authors discuss a history of mountaineers generally disregarding their garbage. Even Sir Edmund Hillary said: “I must admit, when we went to Everest in 1953, we heaved our rubbish around with the best of them. That was nearly forty years ago and in those days hardly anyone had even heard of conservation” (Bishop, Naumann). This attitude has only continued to be the prevailing norm for expeditions on large peaks. Although modern climbers have become more environmentally conscious in recent decades, swarms of groups crowding the mountain has done little to decrease the build up of garbage on the mountain. The most macabre result of Everest’s unattainable location and biodegradable-resistant conditions, of course, are the bodies of fallen and unsuccessful climbers that continue to line the trek to the summit of the mountain.

Jon Krakauer, famous writer and mountaineer, was a surviving member of the ill-fated 1996 expedition. Less than a year after the expedition he published his personal account of the climb in a book he titled ‘Into Thin Air’, where he often criticized the motives of his fellow climbers as they set out to tackle the summit in life-threatening conditions. He described Everest as a “magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality”. However, Krakauer, like Hillary, could not help but idealize the ambition of tackling such a magnificent feat as well. He stated, “…there are men for whom the unattainable has a special attraction. Usually they are not experts: their ambitions and fantasies are strong enough to brush aside the doubts which more cautious men might have. Determination and faith are their strongest weapons. At best such men are regarded as eccentric; at worst, mad”. In 2014, following a particularly horrific incident in which an overhanging wedge of ice crashed onto the slope below and killed sixteen climbers, Krakauer reevaluated some of his own thoughts on conquering Everest. He claimed that, “The statistics suggesting that Everest has become safe for members may, in fact, be giving Westerners a false sense of security, however. The astounding number of climbers who now attempt to reach the summit on the limited number of days when the weather is favorable presents a new kind of hazard”. In light of the trends surrounding recent Everest seasons, Krakauer’s analysis is pretty on-the-nose. Mount Everest’s wider accessibility in recent decades has ultimately caused a blow to the mountain’s previous “unattainability” status, but more importantly, the mountain’s recent problems with overcrowding are proving to have dangerous, and even fatal, outcomes.

With rising tensions surrounding the Nepal government’s decision to not place restrictions on climbing permits following the 2019 season, the decision to stop all expeditions for the 2020 season will deliver a major blow to the local communities whose economic livelihoods rely on the trekking and climbing tourism. In ‘Tourism, Change, and Continuity in the Mount Everest Region, Nepal’, Stevens ultimately comes to the conclusion that Mount Everest’s tourism is a good thing for Nepal, as it links to the Khumbu region with the global economy. He praises the fact that “forty years of small-scale international mountaineering and trekking tourism have made the majority of Khumbu Sherpas highly affluent by Nepalese standards…many Sherpas support continued tourism development and hope that tourist numbers will increase, even though they are concerned about the vulnerability of their current prosperity and about the effects of even small-scale tourism development on Khumbu society” (Stevens). Written in 1993, prior to even the 1996 disaster, Stevens never could have predicted that Nepal’s ever-flourishing tourism industry would completely shut down amidst a global pandemic. The Khumbu region thrives as long as tourism thrives, and the idea of Everest tourism dropping off after years of steady and consistent inclination simply was not realistic. The effects of the shutdown on the region have been immediate – photos of Mount Everest have recently been captured from 124 miles away, as stay-at-home orders have resulted in some of the cleanest air over Nepal in years (‘How Coronavirus’). Certain experts have claimed that 2020 is the season that Everest is finally receiving a recovery period from the increasingly commercialized expeditions that have been leading to increases in overcrowding, pollution, and human waste.

There is no telling how the abrupt halt to this climbing season will affect Nepalese citizens whose primary income comes from mountaineering-related tourism. There have always been existing tensions between Nepal’s dependency on Everest’s tourism, and Everest’s capabilities as a tourist attraction. While Nepal, up until recently, has continued to promote Everest expeditions, the mountain and its climbers continue to suffer the consequences of overcrowding, inexperience, pollution, and unpredictable weather patterns. The 1996 Mount Everest Disaster may have been the incident that garnered the most public attention and rose awareness to the potential dangers of tackling the world’s tallest mountain, but the event truly did little to deter climbers from embarking on the expedition in the years that followed. Tourism in the region of Nepal has only increased in the past couple years, and the correlation of tragic deaths on the mountain during Everest’s record-breaking seasons coincides too greatly to be entirely coincidence. Untimely pandemic aside, it’s hard to imagine the idea of Mount Everest losing traction in the years that will follow. Fear and consequence do not discourage adrenaline junkies – if anything, it is the endless possibility of risk that attracts people to the mountain in the first place. As Krakauer states in ‘Into Thin Air’, “It was titillating to brush up against the enigma of mortality, to steal a glimpse across its forbidden frontier. Climbing was a magnificent activity, I firmly believed, not in spite of the inherent perils, but precisely because of them”. Nepal’s tourism industry might take a severe hit in this 2020 season, but as long as there are those willing to embark on the expedition to Mount Everest’s summit in the future, mountaineering tourism will continue to keep the small country of Nepal afloat.

Works Cited

1. Bishop, Brent, and Chris Naumann. “Mount Everest: Reclamation of the World’s Highest Junk Yard.” Mountain Research and Development, vol. 16, no. 3, 1996, p. 323.
2. Conger, Cristen. “How Has Mount Everest Tourism Affected Nepal?” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, April 1, 2008.
3. Harding, Luke. “Everest’s Decline Blamed on Trail of Rich Tourists.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media.
4. Hillary, Peter. “Everest Is Mighty, We Are Fragile.” The New York Times, May 25, 1996.
5. “How Coronavirus Is Giving Mount Everest a Much Needed Break from Humanity.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, April 18, 2020.
6. Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Everest Disaster. London: Pan, 2011.
7. Krakauer, Jon. “Death and Anger on Everest.” The New Yorker, April 21, 2014.
8. Stevens, Stanley F. “Tourism, Change, and Continuity in the Mount Everest Region, Nepal.” Geographical Review 83, no. 4 (October 1993): 410–27.
9. “The World Factbook: Nepal.” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, February 1, 2018.
10. Wamsley, Laurel. “Amid Deadly Season On Everest, Nepal Has No Plans To Issue Fewer Permits.” NPR. NPR, May 28, 2019.
11. Wengel, Yana. “Death on Everest: the Boom in Climbing Tourism Is Dangerous and Unsustainable.” The Conversation, March 5, 2020.

I was born in India to a Sikh family in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. My father was a businessman and my mother is a homemaker. I have three siblings. I spend my early childhood in Amritsar and moved to Ludhiana, Punjab from where I completed my formal education. I have done my graduation from Chandigarh University. From my parents I have learned to respect others and to help everyone which I am still following. I raised in a sitatution when my family was not having anything. We lived in rented house for so many years. My parents struggled a lot. Due to my parents hardships I am here now. I learned with hard-work I can have everything in my life and my parents are one of the best example for me. Few months back, I moved to Canada for better life and higher education. Here life is full of struggle. I never worked before coming to Canada, now I am facing a lot of difficulties in coping up with all things but I know, I will complete my studies with success.

Religion

I am from Punjabi family I follow Sikh religion. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, and the basic Sikh belief is represented in the phrase Ik Onkar meaning “One God”. The primary source of scripture for me is the Guru Granth Sahib ji, regarded as the living guru, after the final guru in human form passed away. In my religion I go to gurdwara where men and women sit apart. My religion had taught me to help everyone, never hurts someone, pray everyday, remember God. I follow my religion and I have faith in God. My parents told me to read the holy book in the morning, evening and at time of sleep. The one thing that has written in holy book is God Is One. I respect all religion but, follow mine. I believe what is written in Guru Granth Sahib ji is true. My religion taught me to do good with everyone without exception of geeing anything in return.

Language and Communication

I belong to Punjabi family. The way in which I use to communicate with others is Punjabi. Punjabi is the name of the language, as well as the people, of the Punjab region. In the early 21st century there were about 30 million speakers of Punjabi. Punjabi in India use a different script. It is my mother tongue, but in school and universities I was not allowed to speak Punjabi. The preference is given to the English language however, I use to communicate with my family, friends and teachers in Punjabi most of the time. Expect Punjabi I know two more languages that are Hindi and English. English is the most spoken language across the world. Communication is very important for sharing ideas and believes. Sometimes I use to write emails, letters for communication.

Clothing

The standard clothing for men in the rural Punjab is the kurta, that, or Pyjama, and turban. The traditional clothing for women traditional is the salwar suit which is replaced the traditional Punjabi ghagras. In Punjabi clothing culture we are not having permission to expose skin. We are told to wear that clothes which cover whole body. Time has been changed now we are into western culture. I wear western clothes now but, at the time of festivals or occasions I like to wear traditional Salwar suits but as an option, it is not compulsory anymore in clothing style. In the past time, ancestors used to wear cotton clothes which we still prefer to wear in summer season. The religious people wear chola that is a long outfit which is similar to a gown.

Recreation

In the past, Punjabis spent their leisure time in traditional sports and games, in religious fairs and celebration, and in their rich traditional of folklore and folk culture. My family used to have their songs, folk dances and castes of travelling entrainment. This has changed in recent times with expanding notoriety of radio, tv, films. Earlier times there was a sport called kabaddi, cock fighting and camel racing were very famous for entertainment purpose. In early childhood I had spend my fun time by cycling, ski-ping, and badminton. In my free time I use to cook because I love cooking different cushiness. Now I have left all those sports, in my free time I prefer to watch animated movies and accessing internet on social sites whereas my family spend their leisure time on watching realty shows and on mobile-phones. Sometimes when nobody is at home I use to play kids in my street for tasing my time.

Arts and Expression

Present day people arts in the Punjab represent tradition that may reach out back a few thousand years. Village powers make mud toys that look fundamentally the same as figurines recovered from archaeological sites. Worker ladies pursue a convention of painting intricate designs on the mud walls of their houses for festival days. The Punjab is noted for its elaborate embroidery work. Painting were drawn with line drawings in by bright colours and contrast or patters. It was done by the women to meet demands. I am having interest in arts and expression I use to do embroidery on clothes with use of thread and needle, and make flower with help of wire that my mother told. For creativity I use to paint the pot and using rice to make different type of flowers and patters for decoration purpose. In my house I had made a pen style by using papers even I have learned to make roses by using ribbons and paper.

Food and Diet

Punjab being a land of abundant mil, its related products is an important part of their everyday. Curd and buttermilk is present in every Punjabi meal. I prefer to eat wheat products and rice on special occasions. I like to eat spicy food so, I add some spices and lot of ghee to my food. In the morning, we Punjabi prefer to have stuffed paranthas with vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, radish, cottage cheese with a glass of buttermilk. Dahi Raita is preferably eaten at dinner time. The local cuisine of Punjab is influenced by the agriculture and faming lifestyle. Local grown staple foods from the major part of the local cuisine. Punjabi food is known for its nutritional value. My grandparents lived in villages for so many years and their style of cooking is totally different from now. They include wood fired and masonry ovens for cooking food. Now we use gas cookers in our house.

Values

values are beliefs of a person in which they have emotional investment. In my family values are highly respected and are fundamental in daily life. The values in my family are; a woman must obey her husband, arrange marriages are commonplace and females has to do household chores. I have to follow my cultural values like obeying elders, when greeting people using ’Namaste’ and for males they have to touch elders feet, do not show anger, drinking is not allowed. Some cultural values are waking up early in the morning and reciting prays. My parents never given me permission to eat meat but I eat. For communication we asked to avoid standing to close to others, men should not attempt to shake hands with women. In my cultural values there is a ritual of naming a child and it always takes place in a Gurdwara.

Family Life Process

In Punjabi families, all important decisions are taken by the head of the member that is male. In my family, my father is the head of the family and he use to set rules and regulations for us starting from childhood to my education and marriage. He is even the earnings member from whole family. In my family, females usually do household chores and male members are not allowed to do so. In my family males are given more preference in caparison to females. The daughters of the family would leave house after marriage.

Social Status

I raised in middle class family. My father was a businessman and leader of the community group. He achieved status in the society as he used to do good for the community like teaching girl child. My father spent 10% of the income towards helping families for girls marriage. My father had fulfilled a role for us starting from nurture, educating, guiding and protecting us whereas my mother usually have complementary roles. My mother is very likely a daughter and granddaughter for several people. I am daughter for my parents and a sister for my siblings when I am having conversation with my parents I will be very polite and when I am talking to other family members or to the society it differs.

Healing

Love begins at home. To help anyone we don’t need to go far away, instead its begging in the families where we are. Caring each other is considered to be the most important factor than anything else. Emotional support even plays important role to help the pain. In my family we faced hard times together and was able to due so because of support of each other. When sometimes I am sick my family use old methods for recovering as my family believes the best treatment for the injury is turmeric in milk as it heals the injury. My father was cancer patient he was able to survive for two years even doctor told us they would be able to survive more than two months but, sometimes medicines don’t as much as pray and emotional support work and heals the pain.

Small Group Interactions

Nowadays everyone is busy in their lives even if a talk about my family whole members are busy in their stuff so, there is less interaction time with them. We discuss are problems at breakfast time or dinner time. If I face any hurdle I will make a call to my family members and talk about my problem. I have good relations with my family members so, everyone is there to give me suggestions. Having a conservation in a busy schedule plays important because talking time for family members is huge deal for maintaining relationships. Now I am far away from my family I use to have conversation daily on video calls to get connected to them.

You might say why does this matter? Well, to begin with conserving and improving the fish population is important to earth, wildlife and people because it helps the sport of fishing alive, and fish conservation can help maintain nature’s balance. In addition, they also run down the food chain without fish then there would be none of our favorite delicious fish dinners. Although fish does not have to be consumed by everyone, but those who do love them, know that it benefits them because it provides food and nutrition. Fish play an important role in the ecosystem, if they were to go extinct then it can cause serious implications and can even jeopardies the entire ecosystem. Therefore, evaluating the importance and its impacts of preserving fish matters.

Description of Issue

Furthermore, sport fishing or in other terms seen as recreational fishing has become a major issue. One weekend going fishing with your family doesn’t make a big impact on the aquatic ecosystem but think about the other millions of families who are also fishing. That obviously has a significant effect of hooking a fish here and there and almost every time they kill them, they bring them to shore to be weighed or as trophies. But what they don’t realize is that recreational fishing has a big impact on fish stocks, yet little attention has been put into it. In the article “The Future of Recreational Fisheries” by Jacob W. Brownscombe it explains how “overfishing has been cited as a major cause of global fish population declines, often impacting entire aquatic ecosystems”. As a result of this, low fish stocks mean an increase threat to the aquatic ecosystem, overfishing, habitat destruction, unwanted catch and release, and disturbance to their environment. While the community has taken steps to reduce the cons of recreational fishing, the future of recreational fishing remains uncertain.

Arguments in favor

On the contrary, those who do agree that sport fishing should be legal because it has a health benefit, stress relief/self-fulfillment, thrill to it, and also contributes to conservation, First of all, it has a benefit which provides nutrition to individuals, “the role of recreational fishing in supporting nutrition (and thus food security) at regional, national or global scales is underappreciated” (Cooke, Steven J.). Although fast food restaurants might be convenient, why not eat something that’s healthy, burn those unwanted calories, and add years to your life. They provide a good health-related benefit for everyone who likes eating fish. In addition, it also gives individuals stress relief and self-fulfillment, “Technical progress in recreational fisheries may mask such dynamics as it enables unaltered angler behavior” ( Stoeven, M.T). Most anglers enjoy spending time outdoors, therefore when they’re fishing on a cool mountain surrounded by a pound it helps them release high stress from their everyday environment like work, children and responsibilities. Spending a day where its quiet, birds tweeting, and seeing a greenery view, allows them to enjoy interacting with nature which makes it so peaceful.

Not just that, but fishing has a way of fulfilling. For instance, a boy who is fishing with his grandpa catches his first fish. Imagine the excitement in his face because he feels like he just accomplished something and right after notices how much fun it can be. Fishing is an activity that can be enjoyed that provides a thrilling challenge in it. Along with that, recreational fishing contributes to conservation, “anglers may contribute directly to conservation actions via user fees (e.g. licences)” (Cooke, Steven J.). In order to fish you must purchase a fishing license and pay taxes, those fees then go to help fund wildlife and conservation programs. In the same way, the fees boost the economy. It generates millions in state and local taxes and those fees support thousands of jobs such as wildlife managers, rangers, etc. In view of that, anglers are aware of the importance of clean water, air, habitats and want to protect and preserve the environment in order to be able to keep fishing, so they know that they have to care in order to keep doing what they enjoy, which is fishing.

Arguments against

In spite of that, those who agree that sport fishing should not be legal are due to a major factor that overfishing can lead to extinction of fishes. In fact, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organizations (FAO) said that “70 percent of the world’s fisheries as either “fully exploited,” “over exploited” or “significantly depleted.” Such has been the effect of overfishing” (Jetson, Krysten). Due to this problem, overfishing has been the main caused that the fish stock (fish population) has been decreasing. As a result of this, that means less food and jobs. Less food because there isn’t a lot of fish that can be purchased or sold, and less jobs because there won’t be a need of having so many employees trying to harvest fish, which means less income for employees. With this in mind, it can impact economically too. In addition, many may argue that fish do not feel pain or suffer. In this case it’s argued that fishing competition causes pain and stress to fish just by fishing, “Sneddon has repeatedly outlined the substantial evidence that fish feel pain in a manner similar to mammals” (Vila Pouca, C). Fish experience pain, just not the same way people do. It is cruel to make a fish suffer needlessly, just like it would be for any other animal. There used to be doubts whether fish could suffer, but nowadays most scientists no longer have these doubts. Partly because of this, the government has made a law that forbids fishing with live bait.

Not to mention, sport fishing anglers don’t think about smaller things that need to be taken into matter. For instance, the fishhook may puncture eyes, brains or gills of the fish. Individuals against this think it’s not about whether fish can feel pain or not it’s about showing respect towards the beauty of nature, which also means respect for fish. Moreover, anglers who accidently hold the fish too much force (this could occur because the fish is slipping from the hand and flopping) may damage the fish’s organs. Also, catch and release is sometimes not properly done. After taking off the hook they start bleeding and are simply tossed back into the water after being hooked over and over again. Why play a life or death game with them? Everyone knows that torturing a living creature of any kind, regardless of its mental capacity, is wrong. To sum it up, sport fishing has many negative impacts on the environment.

Conclusion

Given these points, I have come to the conclusion that I believe sport fishing should be legal. The more anglers that provide an economic boost to both the state and federal from fishing license’s revenue then the better because sport fishing creates jobs, which increases profit. Which increases the number of jobs, which are needed! I also believe that most of those who fish do it for pleasure and because they love that hobby, so why try to take something they enjoy? Sport fishing has been around for a long time, and even if it was banned it would be extremely hard to regulate because we all know we would still fish somewhere where rangers aren’t looking. I would hate to take away someone’s escape from relief and happiness. I do believe that conserving fish is important, but I also think there’s another alternative way on how to conserve them rather than just banning sport fishing completely. Alternative things like improving sport fishing regulations, for instance increasing fishing licenses, which may stop some individuals from purchasing it because it’s expensive, putting a limit to catch and release, and hiring more rangers to keep an eye at anglers on whether policies are being followed or not. These are just some alternative methods. In conclusion, I believe sport fishing should be legal for all of its positive reasons that comes with it.

‘Energy,’ which includes physical movements such as moving something from one place to another, warming something, or lighting something, can also be explained. There are many forms of energy such as heat, kinetic or mechanical energy, light, potential energy, electrical energy, or several other types. In our everyday lives, we use energy in various forms and cannot imagine about surviving without it. We use energy to illuminate our residences and also for street lighting, to be sufficient to activate machinery and equipment in factories, to help cook our food, to play music and operate televisions, and many more every day. Conservation of energy is an action that has been taken to reduce energy consumption by using less energy. Increased financial capital, better environmental performance, national security, personal security, and human comfort may lead to this. Individuals and businesses are referred to as primary energy consumers who may need to conserve energy to reduce energy costs and promote economic security. Industrial and business class customers may want to increase efficiency and maximize their advantages as a result.

To reduce climate change, energy conservation plays an important role. It helps substitute renewable energy for non-renewable resources. Energy conservation is often the cheapest solution to energy shortages and the alternative to increased energy production is more environmentally friendly. Because we have limited quantities of non-renewable energy resources on Earth, in order to make them available to future generations, we must preserve energy from our current supply or use renewable resources. As the use of non-renewable resources also affects our environment, energy conservation plays a very important role. In particular, the use of fossil fuels for air and water pollution, such as carbon dioxide, is generated by the combustion of oil, coal, and gas in power stations, heating systems, and car engines. As we already know, carbon dioxide operates in the atmosphere as a transparent layer that is part of the cause of the earth’s global warming, or we can also call it a greenhouse effect. In our atmosphere, global warming has its consequences. It has its harmful consequences, such as the spread of various diseases, warmer waters, and more chances of hurricanes, financial costs, melting of polar ice, higher chances, and heatwave intensity. The depletion of ozone is the reduction of the protective layer of ozone by chemical pollution in the upper atmosphere. The protection line between the earth and the ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun is the ozone layer. Humans who are more exposed to UV radiation may have some health issues, such as damage to DNA, skin cancer, aging, and other skin-related problems. There may be some future problems, including a risk to the health of the human body, an impact on the natural environment, such as rising sea levels, and major changes in methods of vegetation growth. It recognizes Sulphur dioxide in the air when coal is burned, and thus reacts in the clouds with water and oxygen and forms acid rain. Acid rain kills fish and trees and damages structures and statutes of limestone as well. It is possible to resolve these types of global issues. As per the United States data calculated per year, they found that over 11,200 pounds of air pollutants are produced by the average family’s energy uses. Therefore every kilowatt unit of electricity stored decreases the impact of the use of energy on the natural environment.

For even more than 100 years, fossil fuel has always been the driver of human productive output, helping human civilization achieve great efficiency. But maybe we are now reaching a point where world demand will soon exceed world supply. This is the scarcity of energy, often referred to as Resource Depletion. There is still considerable debate as to the economic impact of the scarcity of energy. Opponents of Resource Depletion, such as Vaclav Smil, claim that even as oil production capability reduces, there will be other types of fuel available instead of oil. For instance, while oil is now the primary transportation fuel, as oil prices rise as international oil supplies peak, public transport will simply start to shift to electricity sources supplied by coal-burning or nat gas. Nevertheless, regardless of the accessibility of alternate energy sources, supporters of Resource Depletion, such as Richard Heinberg, claim that rising oil prices will generally induce pressure on prices on both transport and food production, resulting in economic and social stresses for cities. Therefore the question is not whether future stress will occur, but rather at what level and how quickly price pressures will take place. There are several potential Energy Scarcity Impacts. They are, much higher costs for all fuels and oil, cars are becoming a means of mass transport that is less affordable a much greater need for mass public transport, agriculture/food production re-localization, manufacturing re-localization, and suburbs transformation and/or death.

Energy Scarcity is key to an understanding of resilience because our towns are both powered by conventional fossil fuels and are also heavily involved in producing the resources that build and operate them. Building, development, food production, transportation, and many other services are all heavily dependent on oil. So on the downward trajectory of the fossil fuel curve, rising oil prices could put enormous stress on urban and national economies. In the 21st century, learning how to live with less oil while finding non-carbon substitutes for the energy it provides, and the products derived from it will be the main challenge for cities around the world, and is a dominant focus of constructing more livable communities. Designers, engineers, and public officials now have the opportunity to start developing strategies for urban preparation and implementation design for the successful transition from carbon to post-carbon cities. For our careers, this is an enormous challenge, but one which we must occupy.

There are several various ways to minimize the energy use of residents, starting from pure behavioral modifications to comprehensive home improvements. Saving on utility bills and protecting the environment are the two major motives for conserving energy. Here instead of driving a car, we should walk or ride a bicycle and as a result, it emits about 60% air pollution. Also, we should use lights that consume less energy in our homes and continue to consume up to 10 times more than bright light bulbs. To save energy, we should air dry our clothes rather than use dryers in normal daily routine operations. We ought to fit a thermostat that automatically regulates the temperature. And we should find energy appliances that lower our monthly electricity bills. Other than that, for natural air, we should plant trees near our window, so there will be less use of air conditioners. Recycle items such as cans, plastic water bottles, and newspapers that are used in household operations. It saves energy and raw material for the same product to be made. Wash clothes in the washing machine and cold water in filled loads. Use energy-saving settings for washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Eventually, we want to make sure that energy conservation advantages are seen in the for-profit sector and that competitors do not lose out. We can alter the habits of an entire generation and make energy conservation a subconscious act. This way of motivation can be incredibly efficient, making subtle lifestyle changes.

In conclusion, the conservation of energy must be among humanity’s top priorities. Mahatma Gandhi was exactly right when he said, ‘the earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed’. The importance of energy conservation is pretty much summed up by this statement. It is certainly of paramount importance to immediately implement energy conservation measures.

References

1. Inspirations and Aspirations: The Sustainability Strategy. (May 2006).
2. Lonnie Wibberding. (2006). Basics of Energy Efficient Living: A Beginner’s Guide to Alternative Energy and Home Energy Savings.
3. Paper articles on Urgent energy conservation steps needed. (January 2009).
4. The United States Environmental Protection Agency. (August 1997). Energy conservation pollution prevention (P2).

Television hospital shows like Grey’s Anatomy in the past, as well as the present-day do not depict the real-life hospital and doctor roles. According to (Health Enews Staff) far fewer patients go straight from the emergency room to the operating room in real-life compared to the high percentage of television hospital shows. Injured patients on television shows spend less than a week in the hospital. In reality, most injured patients spend much more time in the hospital. Residents’ lives are portrayed as exciting, dramatic whirlwinds instead of being difficult as in real-life situations. “In the 1960s and 1970s television doctors, heroes such as Dr. Kildare and Marcus Welby populated the airways, and the 1994 premieres of ER and Chicago Hope ushered in a new era in which programs prided on using medical jargon, making storylines as accurate as possible without sacrificing entertainment value, and hiring medical professionals to serve on the writing staff” (Hoffman 1).

The danger with many medical TV shows is that they usually paint an unrealistic image of medicine and make unrealistic expectations. According to (Health Enews Staff) the majority of patients receiving CPR survive the code, which is not true, In reality, most patients do not survive cardiac arrest in the emergency room, if they do, they will likely spend the rest of their lives in the hospital. The rate of deaths due to trauma on medical shows is three times more than in real life. Medical dramas often overglaze the lives of residents giving false information, also making it seem like it’s exciting, fun, and dramatic. The shows also make real-world residency seem less stressful. Residents on the show are somewhat lightly punished for their offenses, but in the real world, the incident would dismiss them from the program. Trainee residents at a real-world hospital will not find themselves assigned to a particular case for just one day, instead, they will work that particular case for at least a month. Real-life stats show that patients are more likely to suffer from injuries and diseases at a young age. Other studies show that examining the treatment of different types of illnesses that are found and other diseases are higher in real life. Furthermore, television doctors participate in patient-centered communication behaviors. They rarely engage in other behaviors like patient education this type of behavior has a potential influence on viewers, especially in the healthcare profession. Medical shows are like powerful machines for communicating health messages. Grey’s Anatomy claims a degree of perceived realism that could generate factual discussion versus the narrative comments and could be useful in assessing the reaction to medical information.

Although most hospital administrators do not contact the patient directly thus the impact of their decisions may not be as obvious with direct patient contact. On TV medical dramas, residents are allowed to make medical decisions and perform procedures without an attendant’s approval, it does not happen in the real world (Health Enews Staff 2). In real life, some patients do not want to be seen by residents because they are still learning how to be doctors. In some cases, patients in an academic hospital receive better care and have improved mortality rates (Health Enews Staff 2).

TV medical shows like Grey’s Anatomy, have to boost ratings by showing unrealistic skits sometimes. For example, they portray residents’ lives as being exciting and dramatic whirlwinds, medical students who view this is shocked and disillusioned when they finally rotate through surgery and find out what the surgical world is like (Kirzner 1). TV shows like Code Black, show residents going into operating rooms for cases like heart transplants. This rarely happens in real life. These residents are usually seen on the floor taking care of patients. their duties include drawing labs, ordering nurses, getting social workers for patients, connecting patients with their families, and getting patients’ signatures on consent forms (Kirzner 1).

Grey’s Anatomy makes no difference in resident precedence, “In most surgery residency programs, junior residents report to the senior residents, who turn the report to the attending physicians” (Kirzner 2). In real life, if an intern goes past a chief to bring significant patient information to an attending, it would annoy both chiefs and attenders (Kirzner 2). The scheduling of residents on TV dramas is not realistic. They move around to different surgeries each day, in reality, residents are scheduled for a particular service for about a month. Residents do not arrive to work and pick what service they want based on their attendance position.

Therefore general surgery residents cannot change programs as they do on Grey’s Anatomy. They have to switch residency programs to do so, a patient in surgery has to have her intubation tube taped to hold it in place because if it slips, the patient could go into respiratory distress and die (Kirzner 3). In Grey’s Anatomy, the patient’s eyes are never taped shut. In reality, the eyes are taped shut because the surgical patient can get corneal abrasions. Grey’s Anatomy does not follow realistic medical procedures because the show is fiction and is only for entertainment. Code Black is another TV medical show that has been canceled, as the title suggests, code Black is on an influx of patients so great, there are not enough resources to treat them (Hoffman 224). Realistically the average hospital is in Code Black only about five times a year until every day in the TV show. In hospitals doctors engage in minimal patient communication behaviors, they usually do not engage in patient education (Hoffman 244).

Ryan McGary graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He wanted a career as a doctor or filmmaker, he found out in 2005 that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and decided to become a doctor, he was doing a rotation at Los Angeles County Hospital and decided to film a documentary. McGarry became the executive producer of Code Black. He wanted to write and direct episodes of the show once he learned the ropes. McGarry wanted the medical show to capture the transformative experience of an actual ER physician. Code Black is much more realistic than other TV medical shows because McGarry is a real doctor. This meant that he could use his medical knowledge when writing and directing the shows. The cast of Code Black ultimately understood and submitted to is that it is not medicine, it is an amazing amount of intimacy and human drama that is involved.

New Amsterdam is another more realistic medical drama. “It is based on a nonfiction book called Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital, written by Eric Manheimer, who was the medical director of the oldest public hospital in the U.S.” (Idato 2). The goal is to tell how it is to provide medical care in large hospitals. New Amsterdam deals with the funding and insurance concerns and tons of issues dealt with a real-life hospital. The show’s lead medical, Dr. Max Goodwin is played by Ryan Eggold he was drawn to the show because it has a sense of authenticity which is rare for a medical drama (Idato 3). The TV drama is based on real experiences with real patients and someone who is battling cancer, the main character in this drama has to deal with his cancer, while also running an enormous public hospital. New Amsterdam is realistic because it deals with the conservation these days about issues and health care. The director, Kate Dennis takes that which exists on paper and visualizes it, and makes it walk and talk and come alive. “The series also makes an unexpected observation about high-profile doctors in the era of professional celebrity, in Dr. Goodwin’s clash with the telegenic and over-scheduled Dr. Helen Sharpe in the opening episodes of the series (Idato 3).

Grey’s Anatomy like other TV medical dramas, does not depict real-life doctors and hospitals. A more recent show Code Black is realistic to a certain extent. A University of Pittsburgh medical student, Ryan McGarry was a resident at Los Angeles county hospital who filmed a documentary during a rotation at the facility. This is how Code Black was created since Mc Garry was a doctor, he was more able to make the drama real. New Amsterdam is another medical drama. It is based on a nonfiction book called Twelve Patients: Life And Death at Bellevue Hospital, some medical dramas are less real because it is on TV and viewers want to be entertained. The more realistic ones are inspired by sources with real medical knowledge.

Works Cited

1. Health Enews Staff. “Just how realistic is Grey’s Anatomy.” 19 Jan. 2019, www.ahchealthenews.com/2019/01/17/just-realistic-greys-anatomy/.
2. Hoffman, B.L “Use Of Twitter to assess viewer reactions to the medical drama, Code Black.” Journal of Health communications, vol. 23 , 2018, pp. 244-253
3. Idato, M. “At last, an anatomically correct TV medical drama”. Fairfax Media publications Pty Limited. 28 Jan. 2019, https://go-gale-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/
4. Kirzner, A. “Grey’s Anatomy vs. Real-life residency: you already know how this turns out, The Do, 2014, pp. 1-3.
5. Owen, R. “CBS Code Black tells the real ER story”. 30 Sept. 2015, https://www.seattletimes.com/cbs-code-black-tells-the-real-er-story/