Groundwater Pollution - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1026 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category Ecology Essay Level High school Tags: Water Pollutions Essay Did you like this example? Groundwater Pollution Despite being one of the most prominent issues in our world, water pollution is commonly overlooked in our society, particularly groundwater pollution. Even environmental activists can have very little knowledge on how impactful this problem really is, but the fact remains that groundwater pollution is a terrifying reality lurking just beneath our feet. By ignoring this issue, multiple societies hace allowed themselves to pump the pure groundwater full of nitrates and other harmful chemicals. Payal Sampat, a senior researcher at World Watch Institute, puts it best by saying: Numerous studies have tracked the extent to which our increasing demand on water has made it a resource critical to a degree that even gold and oil have never been. Its the most valuable thing on Earth. Yet, ironically, its the thing most consistently overlooked, and most widely used as a final resting place for our waste. And, of course, as contamination spreads, the supplies of usable water get tighter still (Payal). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Groundwater Pollution" essay for you Create order The biggest questions people have when approaching the topic of groundwater pollution are Why does this matter? and Is it really that bad? These questions can be best answered by the Weldon Springs incident from 1980s. In the 1940s, soldiers would clean off nitrates from TNT in the fields of Weldon. Years later in the 1980s, it was found that nitrates were bubbling up in springs branching out miles away from the site, and was relatively undrinkable due to this. After knowing of this incident and the many others like it, it becomes much easier for people to accept that groundwater pollution is something that should be researched properly. In order to properly delve into the topic, it must first be discussed exactly where the groundwater contaminates come from and how they affect the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the top contaminate in groundwater pollution is sewage. It is easy for people to pass over this factor because it is out of our sight. However, sewage systems often are cracked and allow harmful pollutants to mix with the clean groundwater. Jim Davis, a contaminants taxologist who does research for MarineBio, has looked into this topic. He found that a good portion of sanitation plants do not put the water through a filter thorough enough to remove all of the waste and chemicals before it reaches the environment. Davis quotes, According to the EPA, 40 percent of all waterways in the US do not meet national water quality standards, due in large part, to leaking sewer systems (Davis). Another one of the biggest contributors are nitrates. This is because nitrates are elements in many other harmful pollutants such as pesticides and fertilizers. In addition to this, home purification systems do not work to filter out nitrates, and even boiling the water increases their affect. The EPA marks it mostly harmless so long as it is 10mg/L in drinking water, but higher rates have been known to harm infants under six months. Some interesting research comes from S.M. Rhinds academic journal Effects of environmental pollutants on the reproduction and welfare of ruminants. In this journal, Rhind looks into the health risks that come from groundwater pollution. Nitrates that find their way into the earth from pesticides, sewage leaks, and toxic metals, have often been speculated to affect the reproduction system in animals. Rhind proved this theory somewhat true with his experiments on ruminants, or sheep. The nitrates attack the endocrine system, which does play a part in repro duction. However, his experiment also included sewer sludge in the diet of the sheep, and Rhind stresses the need for further, more detailed experiments in the future. He quotes, In these studies, the concentrations of chemicals to which animals were exposed, and the specific mixture of chemicals involved, were not comprehensively defined because this would have been logistically impossible (Rhind). Toxic metals such a lead and barium also play a large role in groundwater pollution. Many of these metals are natural, and in fact healthy to drink, but others can provide serious health risks. Paul Tchnounwou, a researcher for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI, gives just a few examples of the effects of extended exposure to these toxic metals when he quotes, These metals are systemic toxicants known to induce adverse health effects in humans, including cardiovascular diseases, developmental abnormalities, neurologic and neurobehavioral disorders, diabetes, hearing loss, hematologic and immunologic disorders, and various types of cancer (Tchounwou). Unlike nitrates, toxic metals can be filtered out of water, but it can be expensive and often more beneficial to connect to another source of water. Among these pollutants lies another man-made threat to the quality of groundwater, the depletion of natural aquifers. Aquifers are deposits underground where large bodies of groundwater are stored. With the growing population of humans, society has recently begun to well up this underground water as opposed to only drinking surface water. However, this habit has made groundwater pollution even more prominent in our society. Payal quotes, Unlike rivers, which flush themselves into the oceans, aquifers become sinks for pollutants, decade after decade-thus further diminishing the amount of clean water they can yield for human use (Sampat). After depleting an aquifer in Ludhiana, India, the groundwater became so polluted that the well water was undrinkable. It can take an estimated 1,400 years before it may return to normal. A final question to be asked is How do we fix this issue? It seems as though the first place to start is in the sewage systems and septic tanks. The government funding for these things is severely under what it should be, and in turn results in faulty systems that allow waste to slip through the cracks into what was once drinkable water. The next step would be to stop depleting the natural aquifers for drinking water. Finally, taking the time to test the water supply once a month can be a clear indicator of when the drinking water is unhealthy and in need of treatment. By focusing on slowing down the heavy impact humans have on groundwater pollution, we may be able to make the world a better, healthier place to live.

An Analysis of the Israeli-Palenstinian Conflict Essay

The thesis of this article is an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and both the things that have prevented it from being resolved as well as potential solutions or measures directed at establishing peace. The Author’s major arguments in this article start with Israel and how they feel that they have a Biblical right to occupy the areas of the West Bank. The author then goes on to discuss how the Palestinians also feel that they have a right to this land as a birthright because they have occupied this land over time as their own. After discussing why both sides feel as if they deserve to call the land in conflict their own he discusses neither side is happy with what is going on. In this section he discusses how the Israelis†¦show more content†¦I feel that the author makes a strong point in his next argument when discussing the Palestinian justification to land rights and their feelings surrounding this topic. The author discusses how because the Palesti nians feel as if they are under occupation that they have the right to resist in a violent manner. He points out how this viewpoint and occupation has helped to create violent movements such as Hamas. In addition to this the author continues this argument by stating that this violence only breeds more violence as it creates a desire for revenge. I feel that this is a strong point because it not only addresses the mindset of Palestinians but also provides an explanation for why the violence in the area continues. The next issue of the choices faced is also a strongly supported one as is shows how various solutions would and have been seen over time. The first potential choice is to expel Palestinians but the viewpoint that has come over time is that this is not only an immoral thing to do but it would also create very negative international backlash. The second point is that over time those living in the area have come to realize that violence has created hardships that affect everyo ne involved and because of this maintaining occupation over an extended period will not be doable. The third, and potentially strongest point, is that by simply granting Palestinians the territories they desire it would either take away Palestinian

Key Success Factors in Online Ventures Free Essays

The chaotic development of the Internet has left many attempts to route commerce through it stranded. Icons of the brick-and mortar age have often been the most hapless victims, floundering in vain attempts to attract the attention of browsers, and to deliver value. This makes the eminent online success of Office Depot especially worthy of study. We will write a custom essay sample on Key Success Factors in Online Ventures or any similar topic only for you Order Now The business-to-business model has been especially difficult for middle-aged industrial and corporate buyers to comprehend. Those who have never learnt to write in code feel threatened by the very mention of a web site, and take refuge in the exaggerated risks of buying online (Tillinghast, 2002). The first key success factor of Office Depot lies in the simplicity of design of its web site, requiring no familiarity with computers or programming to place orders, pay for them, and to receive supplies. Office Depot, by virtue of the variety of products and services on offer, tempts customers to become frequent web site visitors (Office Depot, 2006). Office supplies for coffee are positioned in the upper left quadrant where it is likely to catch first attention. The lay out is inviting, and is bound to generate curiosity and interest even in the minds of skeptical browsers. Overall, Office Depot scores through a web site, which is akin to the shop windows of the most popular retail outlet in the physical world. A third success factor is that Office Depot makes it easy to return goods purchased on incorrect impulses, even arranging to pick them up at the door (Johnson, not dated). This must alleviate natural fears about making buying decisions without seeing and feeling products, and meets most objections of electronic commerce head-on. Office Depot respects customer choice, emphasizing the availability of trusted brands (Office Depot, 2006). Generic products, new brands, and the most established ones such as Hewlett-Packard are offered with even prominence. This is in contrast to the online business forays of some others, which are blatant efforts to promote particular brands at the cost of customer degrees of freedom. Broadly, Office Depot has succeeded in online business, because it has put customer needs ahead of technological innovation in electronic communication, ensuring that the Internet serves business needs rather than dictate terms to it. Lessons from the Office Depot Online Success Conventional marketing promoted the targeting of relatively narrow segments. This made sense as long as a business offered its products and services within the confines of a segregated area. An over-riding feature of the Internet is that the whole world becomes a single market place. Conventional marketing which is highly focused on a spatially limited segment pays the costs of existence on the World Wide Web, but without the attendant market potential and size benefits. We can learn from the success of Office Depot that online marketing has to address clusters (Payne, 2002) rather than narrow segments. Office Depot defines its customers as enterprises of all sizes, from the small to large corporations, and has combined its Internet foray with international operations. It is therefore able to use the full power of the medium. The Internet makes the Process element of the Marketing Mix (Payne, 2002) a key determinant of success. Office Depot has a prominent promise on the web site of deliveries, without extra charge, within one business day. The enormous planning and investment efforts made to make this promise come true over incredibly large numbers of transactions everyday, has to be appreciated if anyone wishes to repeat the Office Depot success story. Perhaps the facility of the medium makes other enterprises offer commitments which they are not geared to meet, leaving customers disillusioned. There is a large and complex operation of logistics behind the Office Depot success, to keep adequate inventories of such a large number of items within a day’s reach of all customers. The sophistication of online business tempts many enterprises to segregate Internet operations from conventional business. A lesson from Office Depot is that the medium should be integrated in to the mainstream in manners which lend synergy (Johnson, not dated). Office Depot treats customers on its web site just as it would if some one walked in to one of their conventional stores. Finally, Office Depot enhances its physical and generic products with useful services (Johnson, not dated). The articles and discussions on small business and commercial resources must be particularly valuable for customers. Competitive Advantage in Marketspace Scale matters in marketspace (Johnson, not dated). Office Depot is successful because of the breadth of its product and service offers, because of the vast territory it serves, and the sheer weight of over a billion dollars of revenue, which is growing rapidly as well. These dimensions act as barriers to new entrants, and strengthen the company’s competitive strength from day to day. Marketspace is first about customer needs, and not about the elegance and creativity of software engineers. Other enterprises have web sites with flash, multi-media, and other features which delight programmers, but which take time to load, and can even scare away customers. Web sites should have clear objectives (Tillinghast, 2002), and serve the business, rather than drive it. It is important for enterprises to avoid being overwhelmed by the aura of the Internet, and to keep it tightly within the reins of customer needs. Limits to Online Business Success and the Office Deport Experience There are 5 important limitations to online business in general, and to the foregoing account of the success of Office Depot in this regard: firstly, credit card and related payment frauds plague most electronic commerce ventures. The case does not mention the actual experience of Office Depot in this regard, and even if the company has not suffered any significant losses in this regard, it remains vulnerable for the future. Secondly, products such as copiers and facsimile machines may require considerable product demonstration and after-sales-service, which the online business model is not geared to provide. The decision-making for pins and staples is certainly not the same as for equipment such as filing cabinets: Office Depot runs the risk of building revenues faster in low value-addition lines, as opposed to modern office products of the future. Thirdly, Office Depot has tasted success during the halcyon years of a global economic boom. The serious fixed cost growth which it has encountered in terms of warehousing and logistics could become a serious drag on profitability during a future economic downturn. Fourthly, the practice of offering products in kiosks which are not available or offered online, may rebound on the company. Customers may move away from the company’s web site once they realize that more choice is available in real stores. Finally, the Office Depot experience lacks universal relevance. Many competitors, and companies in other lines of business may realize better returns from conventional business channels, and failures if they copy the high fixed cost and infrastructure-intensive online business model of Office Depot. References Johnson, W. C. (not dated) Case 13: Office Depot Goes Online-E-Service Quality, publication details not available Payne, A. (2002) Services Marketing, Prentice-Hall Tillinghast, T. (2002) Tactical Guide to Internet Marketing, Xlibris Corporation Office Depot, (2006) Company website, retrieved January 16th 2007 from: http://www.officedepot.com/ How to cite Key Success Factors in Online Ventures, Essay examples