The Image Trash Gives

When looking at the picture that I chose, I feel it best represents the overwhelming feeling that I had while at the massive landfill.  The photo shows the soil being unfertile in the foreground with a massive pile of trash in the background.  The reason I decided to use this photo over others was it showed trucks filled with trash coming in and dumping at a constant rate. Knowing that the trucks are coming at a faster rate and would not slow down made me very nervous for our future.  

When we had the chance to step outside I became overwhelmed with a sense of reality. Being present with the trash I realized the amount of trash we are responsible for needs to be reduced significantly before our landfills become complete and the environment is more harmed by the creation of new landfills.

Just like this photo is able to last forever, so is the trash in the photo. A plastic water bottle that is thrown away can last for over 40 years. In addition to that fact there is not much that a landfill is good for once it is full.  Methane gas can be captured for energy but it can also escape into the atmosphere.  Gas is not the only substance from the landfill that can escape. Animals and wind can move trash out into the environment where we all live.

Looking at the picture I get the feeling of a dead barren landscape with trucks that keep polluting the environment and I hope that this landscape stays in landfills and does not spread anywhere else in our environment. After reading two chapters from David W. Orr’s Book Earth In Mind; Education, Environment and the Human Prospect I realize the true amount of damage humans are causing to the environment. Orr states “By years end the numbers are staggering: The total loss of rain forest will equal an area the size of the state of Washington and expanding deserts will equal an area the size of the state of West Virginia” (7).  This quotation is an example of how human action is causing our world to become a more barren landscape just as landfills are expanding. Information like that scares me, it is obvious that we as a race can not proceed with such action without the consequence of our once naturally thriving planet turning into a concrete jungle or dead barren wasteland.