Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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X. W ,-I-. Ti X illustration by Ken MacSween fIOI'ida 'S ECO - SYSTEII1 by Lisa Papa With an estimated 6,000 Americans moving to Florida permanently each week, the state's population growth is expected to double to almost 15 million by the year 2000. More and more Floridians are showing their concem over the long overdue environmental upheaval. They wonder how, at this late date, it came down upon them like an avalanche. The major concern was that the unchecked growth would eventually ruin the very life style which brought the new inhabitants in the first place. Relieving this area of conoern temporarily, Govenor Reubin Askew declared, We are abandoning the attitude that growth, including industrial growth, is good for the economy regardless of the problem it brings to the state, according to a recent Newsweek article. However temporarily effective it may seem, a passion for Florida's ecosystem - the community and the non-living environment functioning together - is consistantly being expressed through the media informing the public of the environmental job to be done. Part of the job, as already mentioned, is slowing down the growth growth the state, at least to a more manageable level. Construction of power plants, airports, office buildings, industrial parks and housing developments. can now be regulated by the state according to a new law. New legislation has the use of 2.3 million acres of choice Florida land being governed by the state. Newsweek reported how, until new environmental studies are completed, Key Biscayne has set a moratorium on zoning changes and building starts. The article also mentioned how Boca Flaton placed an absolute limit on the number of housing units that can be built within the community. Last November, Floridians voted almost three to one for a S240 million bond issue to buy up swamps, which are valuable natural water reservoirs, and beaches. Big Cypress Swamp is to be the first of these purchases, with the aid of Federal funds. This minor conservationist cost is hardly worth mentioning compared to the volume of money necessary for further prevention of environmental destruction. The rising cost of clean water alone involves a bare minimum of one billion dollars for adequate sewage treatment for Floridians. The State's Department of Air and Water Pollution Control estimates the cost of air pollution

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Earth metabolic Design rv, .qvaua no glen.-fitiagt . 351 :f. N. 1 ,. :hw c.. ... E,-,--4 .1 -M1 eff, -,,,. , ,c 4 ,-e . '!'Y.l'.'-q,..f n'.if!l- r - ' ,J ti- , gi' .s-, .4 ' Q 5. ,I -fgffl V'- . . , Ps-Rt. 3-ut. 4- 3 ... . '- 7Hf.p,, Earth M.D. is a group of people who have gotten together their energy, intellect, initiative and time to understand what is happening aboard their Space Ship: to see what needs to be done for the successful functioning of 10O'X1 of Humanity, and what they -- or anyone -- will need in order to do what needs to be done to accomplish this goal. They recognize the disparities between the unsatisfied Human needs of the global haves and have'nots, the environmental impacts and dangers caused by the process of attempting to meet those needs, and the finite material resources on hand for use in that pursuit. They assert that the individual can do something about the above problems: they also assert that the only rational approach to the regenerative satisfaction of 100W of Humanity's ne is through a globally comprehensive and anticipatory problem recognition, definition, solution, and evaluation methodology. --Medard Gabel Earth M .D. 1044 Chapel Street, No. 309 New Haven, Connecticut 06520 photos by Dave Patrick

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in Florida to be around S60 million to S360 million yearly. lt should be noted though, that the protection of the aesthetic qualities of an area is invaluable to Florida's tourist-based economy, which depends on fresh, clean scenic beauty. The state legislature enacted a law in 1967 which established the first agency with the sole responsibility of controlling air and water pollution. This department is responsible for developing and enforcing air and water quality standards for the state. One new law established by this department early in 1973 set a new water quality standard of at least 90'K, treatment of all discharges from municipal and privately ow'l'led domestic waste plants. Violaters of state pollution laws can be taken to court by the department where they face fines up to 51,000 a day for each violation or a year in jail. Of major concern is the unadequate treatment and dumping of almost raw sewage into small streams, ponds, or lakes, by numerous small domestic treatment systems scattered throughout the state. ln many of these waters, there is no flow causing them to become stagnant from an accumulation of polluting materials. Untreated sewage presents a danger to human health, such as typhoid fever, hepatitis, dysentery, and other disorders. Rats and mosquitos are an additional source of disease due to untreated sewage. Causes of air pollution from carbon monoxide to flourides have created serious health hazards to mere annoyances. The effects of air pollution are being linked to the cause of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchtis. Some studies have even linked it to be the cause of the common cold. A quality environment, thus, comes at high cost, it is worth it, but realistically everyone has to pay for it. The earlier widespread belief that the Federal government should solve the environmental problems is no longer as apparent. The environmental job is everyone's and it must be done. Clean air and water requires regulations, enforcement, cooperation, and an informed public. According to the department of Air and Water Pollution Control the most important effort one can make is to urge, support and vote for bonds or other financial proposals for sewage systems, rational use of the land and other such 5.11 illustration by Linda Reowl THE ENVIRONMENT JOB photo by Dave Patri IS EVER YONE 'S conservation programs. Man has upset the natural process of his ecosystem. He is drowning in pollution, being smothered by overpopulation, being strangled by automobile emissions and allowing corporations to eliminate resources. ln the final analysis, the job is to bring together various elements of the population who are involved in polluting AND IT MUST BE DONE. the environment so a course constructive, cooperative action car hammered out. lt is fatal to in' ulterior motives and to polarize emot and opinion when the task at hand i coordinate efforts, said Fred Sn consultant to the Citizens' Advis Committee on Environmental Quality his speech ln Two Generations ' Nation Will Self Destruct.