Eric Goldstein’s talk on water was quite interesting because it forced me to appreciate the massive infrastructure undertakings that have happened in order to make NYC a possibility. Upon listening to it, I realized how many aspects of the story of NY’s water I have heard although I am certain that I haven’t heard it all. This lecture reminded me of a story I read regarding the water tunnels of NYC. One thing I found interesting was what a state of disrepair tunnels 1&2 had fallen into. This made me realize that these absolutely invisible and imperative infrastructural systems in NYC are probably just as invisible to our local government members as they are to me. In fact, I would imagine that the only people who are familiar with these systems are the people who directly work with them. This can be severely problematic, as we see in city waterways 1 & 2 because they were left in a total state of disrepair before construction even started on waterway 3.
Regarding shellshocked, I found it quite compelling simply because it wasn’t compelling. That is to say that it had a certain authenticity that some of the other documentaries we’ve seen have lacked. While all the documentaries have accurately and passionately explored teir respective issues, Shellshocked was the first one that seemed unprofessional. This resonated with me because it suggested that the film makers might not have had the backing to hire a professional film crew. But this issue was so important to them that they did what they had to do to get this film out their. To me, that passion and that drive to spread the word goes a long way in showing the importance of this issue. What is especially interesting about the push for restoring oysters to NY waterways is that there are so many compelling reasons to do it. It will filter our water, present lots of future economic opportunity, and it will revitalize ecosystems that we have destroyed, thereby furthering the opportunity for economic development.
As I have recently expereinced water in NYC, I must say I am becoming increasingly enraged when I consider the idea of bottled water in NYC. To start, I can say that it is a waste of energy to produce the bottles and to bottle the water. It is a waste of fuel to transport this water to the city. It is also a waste of material to have water bottles that are entirely disposable. What’s more, a lot of bottled water is exactly the quality, if not worse than NYC water. I’m considering it as being possibly worse because it might not contain fluoride, which can strengthen your teeth. To me, the only reason bottled water is still a viable product in NYC is because consumers are unable to sacrifice the smallest amounts of their own convenience in an effort to save the planet. So to me, the design problem becomes how we can inconvenience the consumers of bottle water to the degree that they just break and start using reusable bottles. Firstly, I would implement public bottle filling stations for hot or cold water all around the city. This way, carrying a reusable bottle comes with the advantage of being able to get hot water for tea, which bottled water doesn’t offer. Secondly, I would tax the shit out of bottled water, thereby preventing people from buying it. Lastly, I would like to point out that I am not entirely opposed to the existence of bottled water. It’s simply that I witness a much higher rate of consumption for bottled water than I think is necessary or even reasonable for NYC citizens. To me, it seems that our dining hall has not yet burned to the ground, despite the fact that it doesn’t stock bottled water, so why should NYC.
