First, you gotta go and read all the comments for Activity #1 and #3. If you read all the posts about sustainability, everyone is saying it's about keeping things in balance...keeping a healthy balance with the environment...integrating our behaviors so that we work towards using less resources and creating more satisfaction in life. That's what the stairwell full of quotes will do. We'll use the elevator less, get inspired more, and maybe even improve our health simply by adding a little art in our lives. Rahimil had a great idea about putting explicity health quotes throughout to emphasize our purpose.
What we want you to comment on in this post is about what is out of balance not inspiring and therefore NOT sustainable in Hialeah. Look around at our city and our lives. First mention your example of what is out of balance and then give some ideas for how this could be changed or fixed to create the balance, to live more in a way that is sustainable. Go!!!!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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What's out of balance to me is the lack of green!!! Everywhere I look there is so much concrete. This just causes more heat to build up, discourages walking and encourages cars. I'd like to figure out a way to tear up 103rd so that I actually felt like walking on it without fearing for me life and without almost running to stay out of the way of cars.
ReplyDeleteWhat is out of balance in Hialeah right now is the attitude you might get from different people. People are always rushed and anywhere you go you can receive a rude gesture, or a person trying to vent; either for being late, or because they had a bad morning/ afternoon. I would like to find a way of letting people "ease" off and letting them appear more "human" rather than always having an attutude like everything is an issue in their lives. So much negativity brings others into negativity as well. Before you know it one person's "road rage" turns into a multitude of people acting the same way. Maybe by toning down the cars and getting people to walk more they can appreciate daily lives, and they can appreciate the beauty of world. Maybe they can start seeing that everything in life is not rushed, but some things can be toned down and enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI think that not only in Hialeah but in many other places around the world people are lacking of happiness. I agree with Jose D Marin, in Hialeah “attitude” is the new “Brand” like the famous “American eagle” for example, I don’t know were they selling it but it looks like everybody is buying it lol. There is not really a solution to that problem if you don’t find it in yourself , maybe people need to laugh more often or watch more comedy shows, I don’t know since I’m a member of the Happy peoples group, I’m happy even when I’m sad. Being rude is not healthy it makes your soul weak, that’s what I think. Hopefully this project can change some of those attitudes by beautiful and inspiring quotes and colors. To be happy is to be healthy; to be healthy is to know that you have more chances to live a little longer. =)
ReplyDeleteI actually believe that there is not enough art. Another blogger said that what is not in balance is peoples attitudes and I think this is because there is nothing that makes people stop, appreciate, and relax. When looking at an art piece for example it makes everyone react in a different way but at the end they all appreciate something from it like the message its sending or the complexity of it. Art provides everyone to just stop and think even if its just for a few minutes. If there was maybe more things in Hialeah that are beautiful but complex, people could be affected by it. For example if you drive down 49 st you might see a very bright building in a array of different colors. This just shows something so different than every other building but still interesting to look at.
ReplyDeleteI believe the problem wih hialeah is the possible over population. We have lots of residents that don't take pride in the city and it looks bad. Also i believe lack of community involvment to help each other out to progress the city. As mention a few months ago hialeah is known as the most boring city in the United States and thats sad. We need to make a better reputation for the city we live in. We need to get along as well.
ReplyDeleteSomething that could be used as an example of out of balance is our economy at the moment in the United States. There is more demand but no jobs therefore, less money resulting in an unbalanced economy. This could be changed if the government creates more jobs by ending the war and using that money to reconstruct our economy. If this were to be done more people would work, more students would be able to go to college, and things would be balanced. By balanced I mean that now since we would have jobs our demands can be met and life in the United States would be more sustainable.
ReplyDeleteSomething that's out of balance in Hialeah is our campus. I see in the near future MDC turning its "parking lot" into a Garage. The amount of students that we currently have is outrageous and the amount that are going to start to come to our schools is scary. As the economy get worse, people will have no other choice than to get an education. Which brings me to my next point our campus is a bit small as well! But I am sure it wont be a problem in making Hialeah campus a high rise College. Sounds catchy. Then these stairs will really give you a work out!
ReplyDeleteI beleive that the something thats out of balance in our community is art. I agree with Michelle. Peoples attitude can change if they gave themsleves a moment to think, relax and appreciate. Art is so beautiful with so many shapes, sizes and shades of colors. This will make people wanna take a walk down our city streets, because there will be something to look at. By doing this people would be active and healthier, and live longer. This is when we take it to our stairwell in our campus. The art in the stairwell will inspire people to take the stairs for a reason, too look at art. Rather than be stuck in an elevator staring at wannabe wood panelled walls. Walking up the stairs with such beautiful work of art will give people a chance to enjoy art and sustain a better, healthier life.
ReplyDeleteI think that what is out of balance in Hialeah is the polution. Like many people said, this city is over populated and not many people care about the environment; they are always rushed and do not even bother to look at what's around them. If you walk around the streets you will see garbage everywhere along the floor, whether it is a simple gum wrapper or a can of soda. People in Hialeah do not care about their environment. They find it easier to just throw garbage on the floor than walking a couple feet towards the nearest garbage can. This really gives the city a bad reputation and makes it look poor and not cared for. We should all put an effort as citizens and try to make it a better, less poluted city. We should all be more motivated and recycle. Simple things such as picking up after ourselves can improve the community and its aesthetic value. People will feel more positive about our city and we will prosper more.
ReplyDeleteAs I drive around Hialeah, or even go out of the city I realize how many things are out of balance. What concerns me the most is the pollution in Hialeah. Not only air pollution, but also noise pollution. Many people are always in a hurry to get somewhere, it's to the point that maybe you're at a red light and as soon as it turns green, if you don't get you're car moving, people will beep at you in a very obnoxious manner. As for the pollution, I constantly see trash on the floor, and it saddens me because our city could be so beautiful but we don't take enough care of it. Perhaps if more people were involved in the community maybe everything would be better. Many students do community hours because they NEED to for graduation, if those students did these community service hours because they're interested in helping our community instead of just for themselves then maybe our city would be different. Another thing out of balance I've noticed is the many homeless people that walk around with signs begging for money. I do feel pity for them, but many are alcoholics and drug abusers and don't use that money that you give them for any good anyways. I don't mean to sound heartless or cruel, but these are healthy people, human beings in fact, that are capable of having a job just like they're capable or reading and writing their own signs. A cousin of mine was born paralized completely, the only part in his body that he can move is his right pinkie and his neck, and guess what, he has two jobs! If that's possible then those in the streets that know perfect English, unlike my own mother who is also a very hardworking person, could have jobs as well. When my mom visited Costa Rica, one of the things she noticed was that over there instead of asking for money, even kids have jobs such as selling newspaper and so forth. Is this because people in this country have just gotten lazy or accustomed to others just GIVING them money? It's truly heartbreaking, in my opinion. We in general have gotten so dependent on technology that I don't know where we'd be without it. The way many see it is, well if I don't have to invest my time doing things the long way (such as climbing up stairs) then I'll just use the shortcut (in this case, taking an elevator). Art is something else that is hardly paid attention to sadly. If others looked more into detail, art can be all around them, but everyone is too absorbed with their selfishness to realize that sometimes it's nice to do things for others, because in the long run, you're helping yourself as well. I'm very excited for this project and I only hope that it will inspire at least a couple of people to enjoy art, enjoy life, enjoy knowledge and last but not least, enjoy the environment around them.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I see a beauty in the off-balance of Hialeah. If everything were balanced, it would be too boring. It's like a chaotic abstract painting that still makes sense. The clash of culture that occurs is what makes it so vibrant. On the other hand, I suppose a sharper awareness of the enviornment could definetely improve things.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion a serious aspect that is out balance is The unemployment problems especially in the city of Hialeah. Several companies are determined to close caused to the economy recession. Then many people are being affected losing their jobs and going through a really critical situation. As a consequence the development of the city gets into decrement. There is no sells, production, inversions and therefore there is no sustainability. I think this could be changed with searches of jobs sources. That would help the society to invest their money to keep a balance and to reach the sustainability.
ReplyDeleteAs i drive around hialeah i see how crouded the streets are. But what i think is completly off-balance is the polution in the county. The old cars that drive around let go such a big amount smoke that has little by little poluted our city. Also people from all over throw papers and trash in the streets. We have to stop this before we live in a trash can. This can be stoped with trash cans around the streets, and with police officers around to take care of the city. Im sure that this will make our city a better place to live.
ReplyDeleteMaricely.omar001
First of all Hialeah is a city with a high population density. I think the major problem is transportation and traffic. At 6 in the morning and from 5PM to 7PM all streets are full of cars. People take too long to reach their homes and often there are accidents slowing traffic even more. I think the best way to solve the problem is to improve public transport. With more buses and expand the streets I think we can alleviate traffic. This would also help the environment and clean the city.
ReplyDeleteI think our city needs a balance of patience and respect. One way we can improve that is by chillin' out!! Being late doesn't mean it's the end of the world. If we all think like this our city would be free of murders and "accidents". Respect is what we def. lack and our city would totally do a lot better with it. Men used to have respect for other men's wives and now they couldn't care less. All people think about now-a-days is themselves and that's not how it works. Technology has gotten the best of all of us and we need to change that! Patience and respect is what we all need!!!!
ReplyDeleteI beleive that there is a lack of green everywhere I go. One major thing I barely see anymore are well grown gardens or nicely adorned lawns. In my neighborhood, for example, it looks like a very concrete filled environment, just like another blogger mentioned. There is just so much concrete and no grass or trees. It's just very discouraging to admire the neighborhood or even take a walk outside. We need to make a balance between nature and our streets. It's all about balance and practicality.
ReplyDeleteHonestly , Hialeah wouldnt be one of those great places to see nice enviorment . There are no gardens that have been yet till this day stayed how they started . Theres also alot of pollution here , no one cares here - sad but true. If we do have a nice surrounding many people will want to be outside in our enviorement . With this project and improving at least a little in our enviorments appearance - it could change at least one bit on how they view hialeah campus . We do need art , it will help many people balance out these flaws we have in our enviorment .
ReplyDeleteWhat I think about Hialeah as a community is that is a county that is out of balance compare to others county such as Pembroke Pines. Hialeah needs more color and much more of art. Hialeah is the place that you can get bored easily, there is not a place to go to appreciate a good concert of classical music or a good museum that you can go and appreciate important and unique things. On the other hand, people in Hialeah are very different, they are always angry and their faces express that they are also mad.
ReplyDeleteThe unbalanced factor in Hialeah is nothing other than ourselves. Day by day i see less interaction between people; i know in the college itself thats not 100% applicable. We seem to be scared of each other, people are less courteous with each other, and as a result we seem more hostile to each other and as result our environment. I think we should somehow try to promote more interaction between each other(via quotes perhaps?) you've no idea how a little courtesy can change your day.
ReplyDeleteThe unbalanced factor is the traffic in the streets. At times people dont think about what there going to do in the streets.They rush sometimes and don't think that they might hurt someone by doing that. At times im scared of even driving in the streets because im scared of someone rushing to get somewhere and hit me.People should relax while driving and not rush to get somewhere. It will save alot of lives and it will make driving in hialeah better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with FernandezENC1101 and Mercy Avellan in that traffic is one of the most unbalanced examples we have in Hialeah. People go everywhere in cars. Even to places that are just two blocks away; they just have to go in car. The streets are overcrowded with cars and that's what makes traffic be present. I think we should star riding bicycles instead. By riding bicycles we get to breathe the fresh air of the environment. We get to exercise our bodies, and save some money, instead of wasting it in gasoline. It is just like the Stairwell project; take the stairs instead of the elevator, in this case it would be the Bicycle project; ride a bike instead of your car.
ReplyDeleteBalance is sometimes necessary, but not exactly always. Sometimes it's good to enjoy the thrill of being somewhere where anything could happen at any given moment. But since this project is about sustainability balance must be a key feature. In Hialeah the balance is barley noticeable and maybe sometimes nonexistant. We litter everywhere, there isn't many activities to appreciate what we do have. There is much pollution everywhere, but the same part of it is that not a lot of people try to contribute and help to stop this from affecting our environment. A lot of people love to waste money and resources, they will go to the greatest odds just to save themselves from a trip to the market that is right at the corner of their house. The traffic is also an issue as well, people drive like maniacs. They honk their horns like monkeys, they yell like psychos. This could all be changed if we had balance within families, our surroundings, our schools. There should be more programs against unnecessary street pollution. Kids should speak out as well because they are the future and they truly care.
ReplyDeleteIn Hialeah there are many things out of balance. One of the things that are out of balance is the "lack of green" like Hialeah artists said. Its just so hard to admire any kind of beauty of any sort of nature when there is none to look at. Miami Springs has a lot of green and it is quite pleasant to walk around Springs. Traffic is something else that is out of balance. No one chooses to leave the car behind, regardless how short the distance might be. Maybe it is because it is so hot, it there were more trees then there would be more shade to walk in. It shows how one thing can inspire others. The attitude people have is a very nasty attitude. Everyone gets an attitude if they dont get what the want, when they want, how they want it, where they want it. It really pisses me off when people argue for stupid things. If you work in customer service in any Hialeah workplace, you know what Im talking about.
ReplyDeleteWhen balance comes into mind i think about eating healthy. Of course if one eats too much, you gain a lot of weight and if you eat a little, you'll lose weight. That is why you need BALANCE in your order to be heatly. Balance if not too much or not too little; just right. Many don't think of balance when eating, but its a highly important factor when dieting. More people should keep balance in mind to live longer and happier. :D
ReplyDeleteWhat I think is out of balance in Hialeah is the lack of a good decent transportation system.In Hialeah our bus system is chaotic and a mess.The buses are never on time and take forever to get their next destination. In Broward, the bus transportaion is always prompt and on time every 30 minutes. Here in Hialeah, you can wait up to 2 hours just to ride on the bus and if your lucky, thats the bus that you've waited for with endless patience to arrive.I have experienced this ordeal many times waiting to ride the bus in Hialeah.One way to fix this problem is by adding trollies in Hialeah.The trolly is a bus whih only takes you all around hialeah and nowhere else.In Doral , this system has proved to work very efficiently and has help reduce the amount of time it takes to get to a certain place.
ReplyDeleteLike many people have commented, traffic is a huge problem in Hialeah. I think a big part of that is that people DO NOT know how to drive. They just think that if they know how to turn the wheel and accelerate, they know how to drive and that is not true. When driving in Hialeah not only do u have to drive for yourself but for two other people. I believe the driving tests should be more difficult and provide more education towards safe driving because I have seen plenty accidents in my short years of living to last me a life time. If people were more aware of their surroundings maybe traffic wouldn't be as bad and there wouldn't be as much road rage. I know when I have to spend 30 minutes to travel 3 miles because of the traffic I get very aggravated and then where I get to the place I'm going that attitude will be transferred to somebody else and it causes a domino effect.
ReplyDeleteHialeah as it’s said, it is a city of continuous development. That’s why everyday there is a new architectural construction to make the city more sustainable and beautiful. Those big constructions involve huge amounts of money from the government. However, even though the government is spending money in those areas of development, there are certain aspects which make Hialeah unsustainable.
ReplyDeleteThe main aspect has to do with the lack of interaction between people. We are living in a world where people don’t feel the need to cooperate or communicate with others. They always have a worry to go school, work, or to the hospital. Anything becomes an excuse not to interact with others around them. That’s why they are always looking for the faster and more convenient way to arrive to the place they want to be. Some people are like horses because they drive straight without looking to the sides to make sure if it’s clear or not. When it comes to school, some classmates come to class looking bothered by the situation, preventing you from having a one on one conversation. The other aspect is the lack of entertainment or refreshing pictures on the walls or ceiling which could help motivate those who walk around. In the case of Miami Dade College of Hialeah, there is not just one picture on the walls or ceilings that could refresh or distract students who are passing by different areas. The only things students see while walking in the way to class is just a completely white color covering everywhere, which seems as if you were in anywhere else, but school. There is not a paint that could capture your attention, or a reframe that make you think, analyze or even forget the cold relationship with peers. By making some drawings on the wall it will have a meaning for students to figure out and therefore relax instead of bringing the anger from the whole day to school. The last aspect is the lack of exercises of society these days. Due to the advance of technological features, humans have made their lives easier. Society has the freedom and serviceability to do things without much effort. Sometimes too much facility affects people in negative ways. For example, people use any means in order to transport themselves but walking, this tells you that people are used to not having the need to exercise. If they go to a building which has more than one floor, they’d rather take the elevator than the stairwell. This lets you know how important it will be to have motivations for people not just go for the easiest mean of transportation. Instead of going to a park to exercise or interact with others, they prefer to stay at home watching TV eating a huge meal, or in the case of children, playing video games. I believe for this to be extremely unhealthy for people, and as a result the rate of obesity in the United States is rising per year.
However, I think that we as students could help change our behavior in many ways. One of the ways to start changing things would be the project of the stairwell. Since I was a child, I have always heard from my mom that the character and customs of a person not only are built at home, but also at school. Thus, we as a student of Miami Dade College can make the difference since everything in life begins with a single step, as it says a journey of a thousand miles. Painting the stairwell with clouds and impacting phrases could motivate students to take the stairwell, and therefore, do some cardiovascular exercises. Also, this project helps with the interpersonal skills. Once this impacts student in a way that would make them use the stairs, they will find the need to speak to the person next to them; even have a discussion of the new project of the school. Also professors could make project for students to socialize and at the same time help their interaction skills. They could have a project for students to analyze, research, and in groups make a presentation of the walls and its effect on the school. By this kids will walk, socialize with their group, and help enhance their communication skills which will be of good source for future careers. Finally, this will be a good way for the school to help with many positive aspects of a student’s life, and therefore the project should go into effect as soon as possible. Let’s help make our school, city, and people worthy of a better future.
We are not all that perfect, but we sure do try. I live in hialeah gardens which is very hard to comapre to actual hialeah. Well Hialeah is very known for its bad roads, buildings and somewhat poor looking neighborhood. I dont understand why its all so bad but it sure can be better. One way of making this city better can be thru using all that money that tax payers pay for an actually use it to better things up. Especially those dangerous road we all drive on. This will be a great opportunity for those who have no jons be able to. So its helpful for the city and the people as well. Yes the money from taxes might be much less since the average income in that area is not so much but I'm sure that better uses of it can be made.
ReplyDeletewhat is out of balence in my opinion is peoples priorities. I think that not enough people have balance in there own lives.So how can they seek balance for other things when they themselves don't have it. so to help this situation, people should try and relax every once in a while and not feel so stressed.
ReplyDeleteAlot of things are out of balance. Almost everything in hialeah is out of balance. People in particular are out of balance. No one wants to help each other anymore. Everyone cares about them selves. We don't care about the things around us. Only the things that affect us and our lives are relevant to us. The city is always under development and always being worked on. The city is growing and you see new stores opening. One thing I notice is that at the same speed stores are being opened, other stores are going out of business. To me it shows the economy of the city is not doing to good. Living standards are difficult. Hopefully some good can come from all the bad. I believe the stairwell project may help. It can help the school and the students in it. That would be sustainable to the community and bring more balance.
ReplyDeleteIn a world full of so many technological advances one feels very inclined to take full advantage of things like elevators. Examples of this can be easily sampled in cities like Hialeah. Sustainable life is difficult to reach at the campus because it requires something from the students, and god knows that's near impossible. Students have a nomadic state of mind once they set foot inside the campus. I like the example rahimil had about horses, because it describes exactly how easy it is to come to school and leave without remembering what happened between the time you left your car and came back to it. I love the first stairwell project because I think it nailed precisely what it aimed to do: inspire race horses.
ReplyDeleteThe human to human interaction is what's out of balance in this campus. Ideas like this greatly improve human to human interaction and motivation. We have great teachers in our school that create a participation friendly environment in their classes that effectively stimulates the face to face interaction we all need. We need more activities in large doses, instead of a successful one hour discussion in class, which is rare.
There are several things that are out of balance in Hialeah. For one the behavior of many people that live in Hialeah, for instance in traffic. When People try to merge on the highways it becomes this huge dilemma of trying to be the first one in instead of waiting a few moments to let at least one guy in. People cutting each other off and blaming the guy they just cut off for no apparent reason. People have this mindset that everyone is weird except themselves and they try to avoid one another. In the school fellow students tried to obtain votes for the SGA elections and many people walked by completely ignoring the students or made rude gestures. I would like to find a way for people to slow down and relax. Yes we all have problems everyday of our lives but why should you let it out on other people? Another thing is the lack of plants in Hialeah. This city is slowly loosing its plant life as well as animal life. I have never seen any other animal besides a bird and a bug. Things like the “’Tree’mendous Day” (in which students planted trees in order to help the environment) help improve the living conditions of all things on earth and also improve the health of the earth in general.
ReplyDeleteTrees. Hialeah needs more trees, and fountains, and less depressing buildings. Those palm trees, I have to say, don't do much for the view. How hard could be to plant some of those nice trees you see in Coral Gables? You know, the ones with the long, dangling vines? We've got too much damn asphalt and not enough leaves.
ReplyDeleteIt is all too simple to find yourself wondering why you would take a route through hialeah. Or why you'd rather take an underwater tunnel than to have to pass by the streets of it. It all goes back to the dullness of it. It's borderline rude to say, but hialeah is the ghetto in our small area. Neighboring miami lakes, it is so easy to see the differences. The lack of green, the lack of social interaction, the lack of tranquility is all too much to keep ignoring. You want balance in Hialeah? Tell people to stop caring so much about themselves and start living the American life of success and relaxed states of minds.
ReplyDeleteOsvaldo Garcia
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the views posted here. There are a couple of things that are out of balance in our city that make it seem the way it is portrayed. I strongly believe that people lack happiness and they are always stressed out. When people are like this, they are bound to behave in a negative manner towards everything and everyone. In Hialeah, people tend to mind their own business and solve their own problems, disregarding others opinions and sometimes their manners. This can be fixed with the effort of many people by just caring not only for yourself, but also for the person next to you. When you help others, you end up helping yourself become a better individual and the community.
Hialeah needs to "Go Green" :)
ReplyDeleteCreating healthier household environments through better indoor air quality, lower energy & water costs, help to increase sustainability of our homes and environment. The automobile is probably the leading contributor pollution in Hialeah. We can contribute to have a "greener" city planting tress along road side, increasing
the greening area of the city like increasing the number of urban parks and perhaps country park too; setting law to restrict environmental degradation such as the release of air pollution by cars and factories.
Also we can recycle. Recycling helps the city in many ways, such as helping to slow global warming, reducing water pollution, and lowering pollutants in the air.
Everybody should know the importance of going green. We are taking advantage of the resources we have, and they are not going to be around forever. We want to keep our environment as beautiful and resourceful as possible. :D
Yes Hialeah does have a lot of sustainable but if you look around so does everything else. every been to south beach? Every where you look there is art. everyone is now going green as well. Lots of famous people are doing it. everyone wants to help. Its very inmortant that we all do our part in keeping oue world clean for our kids kids.
ReplyDelete