Abstract
This paper analyzes two texts that explore human civilization and its interaction with the environment. Ronald Wright, in "A Short History of Progress" and Jared Diamond, in "Guns, Germs and Steel", see this relationship with the environment in related, yet distinct, ways. The paper further argues that while both authors place a heavy emphasis upon environmental factors determining the history of human civilization, it is Diamond's willingness to consider cultural factors in addition to purely environmental factors that renders his analysis the more valid of the two in explaining the rise and collapse of human civilizations and their interactions with the environment.

From the Paper
"Ronald Wright, in 'A Short History of Progress', and Jared Diamond, in 'Guns, Germs and Steel', approach the issue of human civilization and its interaction with the environment in related, yet distinct, ways. As this essay will argue, while both authors place a heavy emphasis upon environmental factors determining the history of human civilization, it is Diamond's willingness to consider cultural factors in addition to purely environmental factors that renders his analysis the more valid of the two in explaining the rise and collapse of human civilizations and their interactions with the environment."

Tags:guns, germs, steel

Abstract
The paper compares how Ronald Wright in "A Short History of Progress" and Jared Diamond in "Guns, Germs and Steel" approach the issue of human civilization and its interaction with the environment. The paper argues that while both authors place a heavy emphasis upon environmental factors in determining the history of human civilization, Diamond's consideration of cultural factors in addition to purely environmental factors renders his analysis the more valid of the two.

From the Paper
"Both Wright and Diamond, in their respective texts, attempt to address the question of why the history of human civilization has unfolded in the manner that it has, and what has been the role of the environment in this process. Wright's perspective on this question is to challenge the emphasis many scholars place on technology in explaining why some human societies succeeded in dominating others. He argues that we "should be wary of technological determinism" (Wright 47) and that human civilization "differing in detail but alike in essentials, had evolved independently on both sides of the earth" (Wright 51). There is an old saying that the "devil is in the details" and this certainly applies to Wright's argument here for it was precisely these differences in "details" that explain why European states were able to conquer their non-European counterparts in a remarkably short span of time."

Tags:technology, human, society, civilization, biology, culture

Abstract
This essay discusses important issues in environmental ethics. It gives an overview of three important environmental laws throughout history: everything in nature is interlinked and dependent on each other, all environmental factors and elements react directly or indirectly to human activity and that nature's intricacy and multiplicity is the source of its consistency, protection and elasticity. The essay asks the following question: If every human action has an environmental reaction, what must be done to preserve the environment for future generations? The essay finds that to achieve a standard in environmental preservation, clear indicators must be specified on what must be constant. Further, the essay finds that what must be constant for future generations are the current accommodations, basic necessities of food, water and clothing, biodiversity, health and medical systems and pure environmental setups.

From the Paper
"The end results of studying environmental ethics in the light of the aforementioned laws are the creation of the imperative of sustainability and a precautionary principle. By imperative of sustainability, it simply means that the future trends and precautions are recognized and understood for an extended period of time after analyzing the current trends of the environment and social structures as a whole. So simply put, the imperative of sustainability is a long-term plan designed following current trends."

Tags:sustainability, biodiversity, ethics, ecology

Abstract
The following assignment is for a first year environmental studies course. The assignment itself is an essay on incinerators and their impact on the environment and human health. It uses a number of sources are used to show that the jury is actually out. There is some evidence that incinerators are connected to environemtnal and health problems. There is also some evidence that they are not.

From the Paper
The Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Solid Waste Incineration Solid waste has become a major environmental issue. Ever increasing quantities of solid waste combined with diminishing disposal capacity are resulting in a solid waste crisis. One solution that has been suggested for solid waste issues is incineration. However, incineration is a very controversial waste disposal technology. Although incineration has proven to decrease the volume of solid waste, it has also been a suspected source of air pollution. The emissions for solid waste incineration have been suspected of causing a range of negative effects on both human health and the environment.

Tags:incinerators, health, environment

Abstract
In this article the writer discusses PepsiCo and its regional and worldwide operations with a concentration on marketing strategies and implementation thereof. Careful consideration is made of environmental factors and trends as well as the impact of competition on its marketing initiatives. The final result is an analysis of environmental factors affecting PepsiCo's marketing strategies including technology and ethical dimensions.

From the Paper
"PepsiCo is popularly associated with its flagship product Pepsi Cola and regularly conducts domestic and international marketing to support its sales of this and other products. While Pepsi Cola is a sizable portion of PepsiCo's revenue stream, PepsiCo actually has significant revenue generated from a slew of other products and divisions such as PepsiCo Beverages North America, PepsiCo International, Frito-Lay and Quaker Foods North America. PepsiCo's Pepsi Cola has long been second in market share to Coca-Cola and the competition between Pepsi and Coke has been the stuff of business school legend for many years. However, thanks to a series of strategic acquisitions and market entry moves internationally, PepsiCo, as a company, has finally overtaken Coke in overall market share and performance: "PEPSICO...has raced ahead of...Coke in overall growth rates."

Tags:environmental, factors, marketing

Abstract
This paper reconstructs the crash of American Airlines Flight 965, which departed Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, in route to Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport in Cali, Colombia on the night of December 20, 1995. It examines in detail the human and environmental factors that caused the events. The paper lists suggestions made by the National Transportation Safety Board to improve flight safety and prevent such accidents in the future. In conclusion, however, the paper point out that the overwhelming majority of these changes have not been implemented because of the politics involving admitting fault and determining which party (or parties) was ultimately responsible. Instead of focusing on changes that have the potential to positively impact the greater good, the legal departments of the different companies involved must actively work to shield themselves from potential lawsuits from victims' families.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - Factual Account of Events
Environmental Factors
Human Factors
Hardware
Software
Strange and Unusual Occurrences
NTSB Recommendations and Recent Changes
Appendix (includes diagrams and photographs)

From the Paper
"The environment on American Airlines flight 965 to Cali, Columbia was in a state of constant change. Many factors affected the flight situation and helped provide a setting without situational awareness. Several environments constituted the flight. At times, it was one of confusion, one of pressure because of a time constraint, one with lack of equipment in Cali, unawareness of terrain, inadequate preparation, communication breakdowns, and lack of pilot experience."

Tags:airplane, accident, pilot

Abstract
The paper lists the environmental impacts of solid waste from domestic and commercial activities of humans. The paper discusses peoples' failure to adapt to environmental limitations and therefore suggests that a changed environment approach should start with the education of the population. The paper further proposes that the actions of environment protection be legally enforced and made compulsory while also appealing to the social duty of each and every one of us.

Outline:
The Problem
Factors
Humans' Implications
The Current Solution
The Proposed Solution
The Required Support

From the Paper
"At a global level, one out of five people do not have access to fresh water; the numbers are expected to increase. Out of the entire resources of fresh water, 40 percent are no longer drinkable. The United States only has 4 percent of their initial forests. The United States consumes 30 percent of the global resources allocated per year; at this rate, we would need five planets just to get by (Leonard, 2008). However, we only have one planet, but since we are simply trashing it, we need to come up with a better plan to preserve the environment."

Tags:garbage, education, recycling, multinational, corporations, government

Abstract
This paper explains that, although skiing is one of Americans' favorite sports and leisure activities, ski areas throughout North America are facing many problems. The author points out that fewer people visit U.S. ski areas now than ten or twenty years ago. The paper also relates that the high seasonality of demand, the potential negative effects of climate change and issues surrounding environmentally sustainable management practices present major challenges to the ski industry. The author underscores that the barriers to market entry include large amounts of initial capital, high maintenance costs, dependability on weather and human resources management. The paper reports that successful resorts respond to these challenges through continued diversification and effective customer relationship management programs. The author concludes that the ski resort industry is not an attractive candidate for potential market entrants.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures
Executive Summary
Purposes of the Report
Sources and Methods of Data Collection
Interpretations and Conclusions
Introduction
Industry Assessment
Industry Landscape
Market Demand
Seasonality of Demand
Factors Influencing Future Demand
Climate Change
Environmentally Sustainable Management
Barriers to Entry
Staying Ahead of the Competition
Summary

From the Paper
"Seasonality of demand in the ski resort industry refers to the fluctuations in demand during different months of the year. Statistics reflecting the number of visits or the frequency of ski resort visitations per season is not readily available, making it difficult to quantify seasonality of demand. However, one can draw a parallel between the seasonality of demand in the ski resort industry and the seasonality of demand for skis and related equipment. According to AuctionBytes.com (2007), the independent trade publication for online merchants, demand for snow skis seems to concentrate around Christmas holidays."

Tags:seasonality decline start-up diversification, human resources management

Abstract
The paper discusses how environmental effects of deforestation are caused by dry lands, degradation, climatic changes and human activities. The paper explains that these contributions lead to global warming, which results towards destroying global biodiversity of life on Earth. The paper looks at how the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 defines deforestation as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and sub-human areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities" (Innes 1).

From the Paper
"The process of deforestation in various geographical regions is wiping out the environment. Deforestation changes the environment by cutting down and slashing forests into open lands in an effort to raise crops for agriculture, urbanization and industrialization. The effects of deforestation are hazardous because it alters biodiversity, the ecosystem and environment and destroys our social surroundings. Deforestation is associated with carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, which alters climatic changes. It is gravely important to replenish the forest or reforestation in an effort to have more biodiversity on Earth. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in..."

Tags:deforestatiopn, climate change, global warming