Why Bother By Michael Pollan Summary

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In the article “Why Bother?” by Michael Pollan the reader is urged to take small but important steps to limit their own carbon foot print. Mr. Pollan specifically cites the act of creating one’s own garden and the multiple benefits of this. This is a solid assessment of how we, as human beings, can shift from the industrialization of food to food cultivation. There are many challenges and benefits to this shift, but they must be considered to maintain a healthy planet. Mr. Pollan addressed one of the more critical areas of change needs to focus around food. He states that every individual should do everything they can to plant their own personal or communal garden. This change would be huge with how much food has been industrialized. If one were to take it a step further from the garden they could look into the area of bee keeping. Bees are the only insects on this planet responsible for the mass pollination of our vegetable based food sources. Simply put, without bees we will no longer …show more content…
This provides many challenges when one looks to what they are able to do to improve this situation. The social idea of having one’s own garden or even a bee hive is not the norm. By not adhering to the norm one will naturally attract criticism. I do believe the average person will fold under much of that criticism and give up on their garden or bee endeavor for the more comfortable options available. In addition to that possibility is the question of pure availability for the land space. A bee hive requires open land and foliage for the bees to feed on. This is just simply not available in massive urban areas. These urban areas are also where the highest concentration of humans are thus requiring more food to the immediate area. A major challenge is that the systems currently in place have not been designed for the average consumer to support themselves, but to rely on the system to support their
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Michael Pollan Why Bother Summary

Michael Pollan’s article, “Why Bother?” asserts that the climate change crisis as an environmental issue is also a social issue. He addresses the idea of carbon footprints and the significance of our choices as a civilization concerning cheap energy. Pollan supports his argument by including references to scientific studies, other environmentalist writers, carbon footprint findings in the U.S. through consumer spending, and carbon footprint in other countries. Pollan concludes his position by offering…

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