p.100 Thinking about the Text

1.If it had been necessary to convince me of her view point Katherine Spriggs would have done so. As it happens I already agree with the topic, that said I appreciate the points she makes and the evidence that she uses to back up her points. The examples of how polyculture farms can work, such as the pigs plowing blueberries, are especially useful; especially when one considers that monoculture farms are wasting resources trying to make up for the fact that they don't do those things. Spriggs' explanation of how adversely the current system effects the environment solidly establishes the importance of her topic.

2.She considers the argument that small farms are not as efficient as large farms and refutes it by pointing out that it really depends on the efficiency you are looking for; small farms are more efficient when it comes to “total output of all crops per acre” as opposed to “output of one crop per acre.” She addresses the possibility of growing more food in the U.S. having a greater negative impact on the environment then our current system as the U.S. uses more advanced technology then the 3^rd world nations we import food from, by offering the statistics that the American diet is only 13% imported.

3.The fact that scientists predict that by 2030 the glaciers of Glacier National Park will be purely history is especially convincing to me, because of the following points: it is very appropriate background info, it is a crystal clear indication of why it matters, it is both good reasoning and evidence, it may appeal to whatever values a vaguely environmentally conscious person has left.

4.The photographs that Spriggs' includes give us a look into the portions of the world she is talking about. The photo of gourds in the farmers market show shopping locally in a pleasant light, encouraging people to visit there and shop locally. The opposing photos of a small polyculture farm and a large monoculture farm show us the stark reality of their differences, the former has a human for scale and neat rows of identifiable plants laid out neatly in the dirt, whereas the latter is on a such a scale that a human would be a speck and the plants are little more than a uniform green carpet of strict mechanized gloom. The photo of trucks trucking on down the road amid the forest green brings home the environmental impact of transporting food that is imported from somewhere else.