Thoughts on "Cowspiracy"

I've heard about this documentary many times, yet have never got around to watching it. So this assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to finally watch "Cowspiracy," a documentary about the animal agriculture industry. This film covered many aspects involved with the topic, including politics, sustainability, facts, and the solution. Overall, I found the documentary both informative and interesting, as well as very eye opening.

As I was watching, I kept looking for a flaw or a reason not to like this work. I had many questions as the movie went on. If we stop animal agriculture, is there enough farm land to sustain the vegan lifestyle of all people? Is the creator of this documentary cherry-picking sources to interview to make a point? What are his sources behind the many facts he states? And as the documentary continued, nearly every question I had thought of was answered, and much more. I felt this work did a wonderful job covering every topic related to animal agriculture--some that I never thought of. And it did not simply cover them at a surface level. Instead, it was in-depth on all fronts and yet explained it well enough that someone with no knowledge would still understand.

One hesitation I had while watching still remains, however. The cost of a vegan lifestyle. Clearly, it is not as cheap. Yet I would propose that if those who could afford it switched over, then perhaps the cost would be lowered, allowing this lifestyle to be more accessible to more people. While some may argue that you could sustain this diet on a budget, it is such a large lifestyle change that those who do not have much money would not be willing to switch. But again, the hope is that when it becomes more large-scale, the costs will go down.

This documentary is meant to be inspirational to make a change, much like the narrator was inspired by Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." However, I wish he had made more personal challenges to the viewers about changing their lifestyles, or talked about what an animal-free world would look like. Perhaps that is not within the typical documentary style, but I feel it would push the message further, a final touch to really convince viewers. As a whole though, this movie is a fantastic look into the problems of the world, what needs to be done to fix them, and why. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.

"Pure" Michigan

For my project, I wanted to focus on what climate change means for Michigan, both in the way it has impacted us and how we can fix these issues. My inspiration for this idea was the slogan "Pure Michigan," and the many commercials seen about this. We like to brag about being such a beautiful, natural state, and yet we have many of our own problems--including oil spills, invader species in the Great Lakes, and a changing climate that has affected a large amount of our daily lives.

To represent all of this, I am creating an art project that shows both the "pure" version of Michigan, as well as the reality. The pure version not only represents what our state used to be, but what we describe it as. The reality is where we are headed if we continue with our actions. However, it is in a circle, meaning we are able to get back to the pure version if we try.

This article from last August from the EPA details many of the effects that Michigan has and will experience. It details each area that Michigan brags about, including the Lakes, our snowy winters, a diverse ecosystem, and great agriculture. I like this article because it also briefly details the general cause of climate change, blaming humans. However, it does not specifically articulate things Michigan does that generates a large amount of climate change. I would like to next find an article that describes this.