The
article "Apple Cited as Adding to Pollution in China" by David
Barboza can be found in The New York Times website. It was published September
1st 2011.
Almost
everywhere you turn your head everyone around you is on their smart phone. Apple
is a big name producer of smart phones and other electronics. This company is
booming in sales because everyone in the world wants the newest gadget they can
get their hands on. People love Apple's products but they don't think about
where they come from and how they affect the world in a negative way.
When
something is produced in a different country it is often cheaper to make it
there and then ship it over to the United States than Make it here. What many people don't know is that the factory
in china where these products are produced pollute the country of China. A
group of people inspected Apple's factories and said "fail to properly
dispose of hazardous waste." Inspectors are saying that Apple does not dispose
their hazardous waste properly which will soon cause problems with the outside
world out of the factory.
Steve
Dowling, an Apple spokesman states "We require that our supplier provide safe working conditions, treat
workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible
manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.” He says this
but every Apple product they make they
are killing our environment because they
want to spend the least possible money to make the products because they are in
demand. The less they spend to make the phones the more income they will receive
because they sell them for a lot more. Companies that mass produce don't care
about killing the environment.
Gamet, Jeff. "Apple Starts Environmental Audit for China Parts Suppliers - The Mac Observer." The Mac Observer. Jeff Gamet, 7 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. <http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article
Even though this article was written in 2011 does not mean that it doesn't still occur. This problem is still happening in China because apple's business is booming. 137 workers got injured from a toxic chemical that is uses to make the Iphone screens. Also 2 people died from an explosion and fire from a plant that Apple uses to make its products.
As much
as we love our Apple products we need to start realizing that they are hazardous
to our environment.
I learn
in Honors Biology class that producers in a food web provide the food source to
the primary consumers. This relates to the problems Apple products are having
because Apple makes their products and then people buy them and use them as in
consumers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/technology/apple-suppliers-causing-environmental-problems-chinese-group-says.html?_r=1&
I thought that this was a very well written article. One thing that I really like that you said was, "every Apple product they make they are killing our environment." This really made me stop and think. It seems like everyone that is around us had an smartphone so if each one of these is hurting the environment that that is a lot of damage.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Apple factories had such a negative effect on the environment. This post made me really wonder if buying an iPhone was the right choice. I agree with you when you said, “Companies that mass produce don’t care about killing the environment.” These companies only want to make money, and they will do whatever they can to get it. Overall, your post was very well written, and made me wonder about all of the other mass production companies and what effect they have on the environment.
ReplyDeleteNice Job! I can't believe that 137 workers got injured from the chemicals that are used to make the screen itself and I never would have thought that there would of been explosives that killed 2 people. I agree that even though this article was written 3 years ago, that doesn't mean that it doesn't still affect the environment today. I also agree that so many people have apple products and they are in such high demand that the factories are going to have to make more and more also hurting the environment. This was very well written. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very informative article response. More people need to know about the effects Apple products are having on the world, and more specifically, the effects Apple products have on China and it's population. I found it interesting when you said "they want to spend the least possible money to make the products because they are in demand." I had never thought of this. I had always assumed that if the product brought in more money, it could then be made more carefully and with better regards for the workers creating the product. Now I realize that the more money they make AND the less they can spend will bring in the most money, and that's what they ultimately want. I also really liked your title. The play on words was very alluring. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, really well written essay! Just from the title, “Your Smartphone isn't Making Smart Choices” I knew I wanted to read your post. Smart phones are a big part of many peoples lives and they think they are amazing. But, from this tittle I can tell that they might not be as great as everyone thinks. There are many bad factors of smart phones stated in your essay but one statement that really made me think was, “137 workers got injured from a toxic chemical that is uses to make the iPhone screens. Also 2 people died from an explosion and fire from a plant that Apple uses to make its products.” The fact that people have died while producing apple products shows that there is something wrong. Lastly, I definitely agree with the fact that if a company is doing very well they forget about how they might be hurting the environment. They just care about selling their products, just like in the Lorax. Overall great job! This really made me think about the effects of mass production on the environment.
ReplyDeleteYour title is very catchy and instantly made me want to read your blog post. I had no idea what harmful effects Apple factories had on our environment. I wonder if people would still buy Apple products after they read this blog/article! Would you still buy anything involved with Apple? A quote that I found really interesting was “He says this but every Apple product they make they are killing our environment because they want to spend the least possible money to make the products because they are in demand.” This quote shows the readers that Apple does not care about the environment. They are focused on making the most money possible. It is scary to think they so many people have been injured while they were doing their job! I definitely agree with your opinion. Great job Kathryn!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job and I loved your title! I had no idea that Apple was harming the environment. I think it is important that a lot of other people read this article as well because it really made me think about how our everyday items that some people could not live without really affect our environment in a negative way. Do you think big companies such as Apple should consider how they are affecting the environment? I personally think they should and if other people knew how much these products kill our earth then many people would stop buying Apple items. I cannot believe that 137 workers were injured from a toxic chemical that is used when making an iPhone and 2 were killed from an explosion! I like how you started the article with, “Almost everywhere you turn your head everyone around you is on their smart phone.” This one really made me think and notice that pretty much everyone owns a smartphone!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Kathryn! I thought you did an excellent job writing this article. I liked your grabber, when you mentioned how "everywhere you turn your head everyone around you is on their smart phone." Its a true statement and not many people take the time to think of what it is doing. I agree with you when you say "every Apple product they make they are killing our environment because they want to spend the least possible money to make the products." I fell like a lot of people who don't have any say with anything around the company have noticed this, but since they have no source of power, they cant do anything about it. Company's and factories only care about making money, they wont care about the affect they have on the environment until it kills them. I thought you did a great job writing this and covering some of the major topics that people tend to hide from. Great job Kathryn!!
ReplyDeleteNice Job Kathryn! When I saw your title I was intrigued to see what you were talking about when you said that apple wasn't making smart choices. I completely agree when you state that " People love Apple's products but they don't think about where they come from and how they affect the world in a negative way." Nowadays we all think that the new technology is making our world better and in a lot of cases, it is. Although in most cases, the new technology is causing a lot of harm. When you said " Companies that mass produce don't care about killing the environment" it really made me worried because its completely true! Companies don''t care about the environment, they only care about the money. I think that if people were more cautious of their materials we would save a lot of people from injuries and deaths like the ones you talked about in your blog. I really enjoyed your blog and I think that it makes a great point!
ReplyDelete