Humanities 445


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Portfolio II.C.i: Technological Ethics - Water


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LINKS & GENERAL ARTICLES
Environmental Ethics
Environmentalists Pose the Greatest Danger
Easy to Say Green

EXXON CASE STUDY
Lessons from the Exxon Valdez

LOVE CANAL
Love Canal Timeline
Lois Gibbs Bio
Love Canal Ethical Case Study
This was first time a citizen (a housewife) successfully took on a major company. The company was Hooker Chemical -- dumped toxic wastes into the ground water, covered it with dirt, sold the land to the city to developers who built a working class neighborhood who also built and school on it, people started getting sick, no explanation for it. Also, gooey discharges leeched up through the ground, leaked into basements, making people terribly sick over long period of time -- cancers, birth deformities, etc. Lois Gibbs got the government, State of NY and EPA to back her and go after the company; they bought all their homes, relocated the town, dug out all the pollution and reclaimed the land.


ASSIGNMENT:

Considering the class presentation on this issue and the information you have read in the links above, write a one page response to this issue. The following questions may give you some things to think about as you write your response:

    1. Who are the major players?

    2. What are their concerns and motivations of each?

    3. What are the justifications for the actions of each side?

    4. Summarize the ethical concerns of this issue?

      • Whose individual rights or what community rights are being violated, if anyone's?

      • What harm is coming to individuals or the community?

      • Who is gaining at the expense of others?

      • What considerations were made (if any) when this (un)ethical action was taken?

      • Is the cost worth the benefits?

    5. Evaluate the situation ethically:

      • Discuss your opinion of this situation ethically and each person/community in it, discuss the reasons for your conclusions, then discuss solutions and corrective approaches to this in light of your evaluation.





Copyright(c) 2002 by Karey Perkins / E-mail: karey1@charter.net