How to Contextualize our Effects on the Environment

“3 Important Facts About Bioproducts” Before we start, it's important to address what exactly a bioproduct is, it can be best defined as a product that comes from renewable resources such as waste or crops. The word bioproduct can be seen as a blanket term. There are so many different and specialized areas of bioproducts such as biodiesel, biomass, and bioplastics. I’ll provide three main points about bioproducts such as what are some examples, processes that make them, and how sustainable they are.  Firstly, what are some bioproducts in our everyday lives? MSG is something that many consume as it is often found in Chinese food, canned food, and meats that have been processed. While this isn't a brand name, isopropyl alcohol can be found at the store in different concentrations and is used in hand sanitizers and cleaners (Lesson 19). Ethanol is mixed with gas and can be used for heating and transportation purposes and is sourced from corn and wheat (Ontario).  Next, we will di...

  “How Much Wood Could A WoodChuck Chuck If A WoodChuck Could Chuck Wood?” One of the most important renewable resources on this planet is wood. Wood and trees do a lot for the environment such as making oxygen and sequestration of carbon as well as providing structure to our houses and being the foundation of many day-to-day products. But a lot goes into determining what woods we use, how we use them, and their sustainability.  First, we can talk about the most important wood product, paper, and how sustainable it is. Since wood comes from trees this raises a lot of questions about deforestation as well as the removal of our natural air filters. According to The World Counts, “It takes between 2 and 13 liters of water to produce a single A4-sheet of paper” which is disproportionate for the amount of paper it ultimately produces raising concerns about water use as well. In the process of making paper two things take place called pulping and bleaching which both have toxic runo...