Earth Day

I didn't realize it was Earth Day until I was reading a Facebook post encouraging everyone to take public transportation, drink tap water, and pick up trash around their neighborhood. When I was at Virginia Tech, we used to have a large celebration on the Drillfield with the cycling club tuning up bikes for free and groups selling Earth Day t-shirts made of organic cotton. In Berkeley, I didn't see any celebrations, but I would be incredibly surprised if nothing was going on. Maybe I need to get out of lab more often...

I didn't know much about the history of Earth Day until I read the Wikipedia article detailing its inception. Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was also an environmental activist and is always held on April 22nd. Senator Nelson came up with the idea after the major oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, which ranks 3rd after Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills. Washington was not responding effectively to the situation, and the disaster significantly affected wildlife. So Senator Nelson decided to set up a "teach-in" modeled after those that focused on the war in Vietnam. This first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, marked the beginning of the environmental movement. And now you know how Earth Day began.

When I typed in "Earth Day" and "China" into Google, I came across a blog on the San Francisco Chronicle website discussing this very subject. China is facing a major environmental crisis as its waters and air become more and more polluted each day. Its lax regulations allow multinational (and Chinese) companies to escape the laws that protect the environment from toxic dumping. While China is trying to address environmental concerns with its announcement of a 40-year plan, its growing economy and population will make serious action difficult. They cannot continue with "business as usual," to burn the short supply of coal for electricity or refuse to beef up environmental and safety regulations. Otherwise, they can look forward to more disasters like the toxic spills in the Songhua River and thicker air pollution.

And while our environmental standards are higher than China's at the moment, we are certainly not saints when it comes to protecting our environment. We need to accept that our giant cars and inefficient coal plants are affecting the climate. Earth Day reminds us to take a look at our footprint - and do something about it.

Cheap American Labor - Wait, what?

The other title I wanted to give this post was "Swedish Bastards," but I have several friends in Sweden and love them dearly. Also, I couldn't resist posting this image with it, so I apologize if I offended you.

For those of you like me who love Ikea, the following article is a good read: Ikea's U.S. factory churns out unhappy workers. My favorite quote: "It's ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico," Street said.

And everything I would say about it can be found here: Ikea's Third World outsourcing adventure - in the U.S. Thanks to Katie for the link!

This story is certainly going to put a damper on my next trip to Ikea when my boyfriend buy furniture for our new apartment! It's hard not to sound excited though...

In the Papers

A couple weeks ago, my mother sent me a few articles from The Straits Times in Singapore. No, it was not about the murder of a cat. The articles were about good things going on in China. She's always been a contrarian, bless her heart. And now she's trying to change my mind about China and all the terrible things that are happening. Right? Aren't people unhappy?

The titles of the articles were:

China farmers' online sales bearing fruit: Website sales boost their incomes, helping close the gap between rich and poor

Wanted - Super Maids: Demand in Chinese cities for competent domestic help surges

Young migrants opt to stay put in China cities: Overburdened cities find it tough to integrate those who decide not to return to villages after work stint

In the first story, the Chinese farmers find a way to sell their vegetables and fruit to the cities through the agricultural trading website. For one woman, 55-year old Wang Yulan, her yearly income doubled to over $5,000 and she doesn't have to leave her home to sell her goods. Addressing the growing gap between the rich and poor is high on the list of Chinese officials. They understand that having this gap can lead to discontent, unrest, and ultimately revolt (maybe U.S. officials should take a cue from China...). There are still many issues including access to health care and developers grabbing land, but this story is an example of improvements for poor, rural farmers.

"Wanted - Super Maids" was a really fun article to read, and I apologize for not being able to find it online for you. At the top of the page, my mother wrote, "Not all is gloom and doom in China!" The story is about contest on Chinese national television that could be called "China's Next Top Maid." Teams of maids compete for the title of Top Maid and also for special contracts. For example, one of the maids in a contest won a contract for 5,000 yuan a month, making her the highest paid housekeeper in the Hunan province. The demand for maids is so high that Chinese are hiring Filipinos illegally (sound familiar?) because these maids can speak English and are known to keep house well. One agency even auctioned the services of 10 "super maids" at the Special Talent Auction. The pay for maids is also pulling university graduates away from potential jobs they would obtain with their degree.

At the top of the last article, my mom wrote "A reason to buy Chinese Products!" This article follows 21-year-old Li Biying, who works at an underwear factory. She started working at the factory when she was 14, making the lining of bra cups. For every 12 pieces she makes, she earns 20 cents. If you know how much a Victoria's Secret bra costs, you probably have steam coming out your ears. But Li loves her work. She has assimilated into the urban culture and wears high-heeled boots with faux fur to work. Not everything is perfect for Li. She works 14-hour days, only has one day off a month, and her dorm only gets 20 minutes of hot water a day. It's probably better than her life in rural China.

So what should I take from all of this? As I wrote this, I realized that many parallels exist between China and America. Immigration issues, the gap between the rich and poor, urbanization, the list goes on and on. How we address our growing urban population, the need for health care for everyone, our energy use, and our role on the world stage may give China insight into how to solve its own problems.

Or maybe we'll learn something from them. Thanks for keeping me optimistic, Mom.