4 -- Friday, December 2, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4 - Friday, December 2, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
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MICHELLE DEWITT
STEPHANIE STEINBERG and EMILY ORLEY NICK SPAR
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Imran Syed is the public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com.
Plant seeds for recovery
Remove legal barriers on urban farms in Detroit
t's no secret that there is a tremendous amount of abandoned
land in Detroit. But that land is starting to pose an economic
danger by straining the city's resources. However, as a par-
tial solution, residents have replaced some of the blighted houses
with urban farms and gardens. While the action violates state law,
the urban farms benefit the city. The state Legislature should pass
the bipartisan bill introduced earlier this week in the state Senate
to remove bureaucratic weeds that could prevent the urban farms
from sprouting up.
The emotions ofpolitics
uring a walk through cam-
pus last weekend, a friend
told me that she figured
out the funda-
mental differ-
ence between
liberals and con-
servatives. Lib-
erals, she said,
feel personally
hurt when they
see someone else
who is under- LIBBY
served or unfair- ASHTON
ly burdened.
Conservatives
just don't. So, in her mind, the com-
plicated political philosophies of
each camp are simply intellectual-
ized justifications- for a deep-seed-
ed emotional reaction - or lack
thereof - to what's going on around
them.
I'm not sure I'm comfortable
agreeing with her categorical dis-
tinction of liberals and conser-
vatives, but I think it raises an
interesting question about what
motivates our political and social
beliefs and behavior. Do our unso-
phisticated and conditioned feel-
ings about the world and ourselves
inform our dazzling and neatly
packaged sets of ideals? And if
that's the case, is it even possible to
act without the primary intention
being to gratify those basic - and
sometimes barbaric - intuitions?
One argument might be that
everyone is ultimately motivated by
self-interest and that even the most
generous, spirited person wouldn't
perform such generosity unless it
gave him or her pleasure. With this
view, the most socially conscious
political activist is no more altru-
istic than the demonized 1 percent.
The activist is fundamentally moti-
vated by his or her experience of
pleasure when advocating for the
underrepresented. The tax-evading
millionaire is similarly motivated
by his or her experience of plea-
sure when accumulating wealth.
Perhaps both have come to experi-
ence pleasure from their respective
behaviors because, in their commu-
nities, such behavior earned them
praise and high esteem.
So the activist's political stance is
no more legitimate than his desire
to be well liked by his friends - and
no less self-focused than the mil-
lionaire's tendencyto vote on finan-
cial policies that benefit him or her
and seriously burden the majority
of his or her fellow citizens. But,
intuitively, this picture seems to be
wrong. And, according to philoso-
pher Joel Feinberg's critique of this
theory of egoism, it is.
A desire can be unselfish, even
if the feelings that motivate it and
the pleasure experienced when
it's acted upon reside within the
individual. Selfishness, Feinberg
argues, concernsthe aimofa desire,
not its origin. Because the activist's
desire is to advance the interests
of someone outside himself, he is
unselfish - even though he is, as a
by-product, emotionally benefitted
by the satisfaction of that desire.
The millionaire, on the other hand,
wishes only to advance his or her
own interests.
So when our complicated politi-
cal philosophies intend to advance
the interests of others, our convic-
tions to affect policy are unselfish,
no matter how personally satisfied
we feel when we win. But what if
we intellectually recognize the
importance of behaving unselfishly
politically and otherwise, and our
emotional selves don't follow suit?
What happens when we know that
we ought to care about a particular
issuebutwe simplycan't make our-
selves feel the conviction?
The same friend who got me
started on this thought is a passion-
ate and strongly informed vegetar-
ian. Her views on the issue of food
and animal rights are nuanced and
sophisticated. She'll never make
an aggressive attempt to convert a
meat-eater and she won'tgrimace if
you ordera hamburger when you're
out to dinner with her. If you ask
her why she stopped eating meat,
she'll explain that the overwhelm-
ing evidence - from a political,
environmental and ethical per-
spective - convinced her that there
were more reasons not to eat meat
than to eat meat.
Not all our
beliefs have a
rational basis.
She relayed her evidence to me
(because I asked), and I found
myself similarly convinced. But I
told her that, for whatever reason,
this issue didn't arouse any feel-
ing in me and that I'd likely keep
eating meat because I just didn't
care enough to change my habitual
behavior. She said that she thought
of me as someone who was especial-
ly capable of acting in accordance
with principles rather than conve-
nience. What ultimately compelled
me to commit to a (mostly) vegetar-
ian lifestyle was that I wanted to
honor and act upon my distinctly
human capacity for rationality.
We would exhaust ourselves if
we attempted to ensure that every
instinct and intuition we have
matched our rational understand-
ing of how we ought to feel and
behave. But in our political stanc-
es and social behavior, we should
make an effort to introspect as to
what, exactly, motivates us. Reflec-
tion and critical thought is, after
all, human nature.
-Libby Ashton can be reached
at eashton@umich.edu.
0
The bill - introduced by state Sen. virgil
Smith (D-Detroit) and state Sen. Joe Hune
(R-Livingston County) - would exempt
Detroit from the 1981 Michigan Right to
Farm Act. The law's original intent was to
protect farmers from new neighbors who
may move from the cityto expandingsuburbs
and complain about farms' odors and traffic
problems. As a result of the act, Detroit offi-
cials cannot approve new farming operations
because under the current law, city officials
would be barred from addressing citizens'
complaints about farming.
The possibility of farm shutdowns cre-
ates an incentive for farmers to stay out of
the city, and leaves farmers who have risked
setting up a farm in Detroit wondering if
the city will force them to close. However,
urban farms are growing in Detroit without
complaints. While these farms are illegal,
Detroit's strained resources have so far pre-
vented police from closing any farms.
Creating an exception for the farms in
Detroit makes sense, as urban farming ben-
efits the, city. With few supermarkets or
grocery stores, many areas in Detroit are
considered food deserts, and Detroiters can
only shop for food at small markets or con-
venience stores. These stores rarely carry
fresh fruits or vegetables, and if they do, the
produce is usually more expensive than the
produce sold at supermarket chains.
According to a study released by Michigan
State University, allocating approximately
4,800 acres of land for farming could pro-
vide up to 75 percent of Detroit's vegetable
needs, and help replace unhealthy pre-pack-
aged foods with fresh and local alterna-
tives. Urban farming could also play a role in
Detroit's economic recovery. And according
to Crain's Detroit Business, the 2,000-acre
RecoveryPark farming project - a joint pub-
lit and private venture in Detroit - could
add 4,000 jobs in farming, deconstruction
of vacant homes, food processing and related
operations over the next ten years. Additional
large-scale farms would help lower Detroit's
high unemployment rate and remove vacant
homes - making the city more attractive to
residents and businesses.
Detroit's appetite for fresh and healthy
food is evident - over 1,000 urban gardens
have been registered with Garden Resource
Program Collaborative, an umbrella organi-
zation for Detroit agricultural groups. Addi-
tional farmers are reluctant to move into the
city without the city's legal approval, but the
passage of the proposed bill would elimi-
nate this problem and allow urban farms to
expand in Detroit.
W
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein,
Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb;
Vanessa Rychlinski, Caroline Syms, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
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'U' needs to invest more
resources in sustainability
threats to humanh
If the Universit:
sustainability, we
prehensive carbon
then will we exe
TO THE DAILY: Best" and makea
University President Mary Sue Coleman in the fight agains
recently announced that the University the required steps
would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by print have econom
25 percent by 2025. While this might sound shrinking the Un
impressive, the fact remains that 674 uni- increasingly expet
versities have signed the American College energy usage and
and University Presidents' Climate Com- sumption of resou
mitment which requires carbon neutrality savings.
- a 100-percent reduction in emissions. I While the size
find it hard to believe Coleman's statement tainly an obstacle
that "sustainability defines the University resource. The stu
of Michigan" when 674 other universities in holders can be key
the United States have committed to reduc- carbon neutrality.'
ing their carbon footprint by four times the as an example, cre
percentage we pledged. graduate students
As the European Union has committed to climate-neutrality
an 80 to 95 percent emissions reduction by sity of Michigan sh
2050, our promise of a 25-percent reduction resources - engag
pales in comparison. It seems other institu- community - toc
tions have accepted what ours has not; the reduction plan to a
current level of carbon dioxide in the atmo- time frame that be
sphere is projected to double over the next 50 way, we will battle
years, and carbon emissions need to be cut by allow ourselves to
8 billion metric tons per year to maintain our ability.
current output levels. If this does not occur,
scientists predict global warming, increased Lizzie Grobbel
extreme weather, ecological disruption and Engineeringjunior
health.
y is truly to be defined by
need to develop a com-
-neutral action plan. Only
mplify the "Leaders and
a significant contribution
t climate change. Many of
in reducing carbon foot-
sic payback. For example,
iversity's dependence on
nsive fossil fuels, reducing
downsizing overall con-
rces should result in cost
of the University is cer-
, it is also an invaluable
dents, faculty and stake-
contributors in achieving
The University of Kansas,
ated a capstone course for
to develop the school's
action plan. The Univer-
hould employ its wealth of
ging the entire University
create a realistic carbon-
chieve neutrality within a
fits our institution. In this
climate change and truly
be "defined" by sustain-
Implement infrastructure to boost a plethora of wel
natedbike paths a
alternative transportation official bicycle m
get to their destin
the other hand, cc
TO THE DAILY: tion of on-road bi
For the past several years, University students have walking-oriented
led an initiative to pressure University regents and gerously swerve b
Ann Arbor City Council members into investing in a Ifa bike-shari:
bicycle-sharing program for the city of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor today1
University campus. Bicycle-sharing programs - also the program wou
known as "smart-bike" programs - aim to provide incomplete game
bicycles to those who do not own them by constructing rental stations w'
several bicycle rental stations around a city or campus. out an organized
The main goal of bicycle-sharing programs, at least from one station
according to its advocates, is to increase alternative an abundance of1
transportation and make it cheap, accessible, easy to inaccessibility an
use and fun. While bicycle-sharing should be an even- importantly, the
tual goal for both the city of Ann Arbor and University, several million do
it is not realistic at this time. There is one vital piece in an idea in alter
missing from the puzzle: bicycle infrastructure. system of implem
Ann Arbor bike-sharing advocates point to Madison, tant objective in.
Wis. and Boulder, Colo. as cities with successful smart- tion plan, but thec
bike programs. Madison and Boulder, like Ann Arbor, the dots.
after all, are mid-sized cities with large public universi-
ties. When it comes to bicycle infrastructure, however, Matt Lonnerstat
Madison and Boulder take the cake. Both cities feature LSA senior
Bicycle-sharing program should mined solely base
the existence of t
he implementedfor students versus only two lI
and flexibility.
TO THE DAILY: Bicycle-sharini
The University is currently in the process of imple- versities, includin
menting a bicycle rental program that aims to promote State University.'
an alternative way of commuting to and from campus. to implement a s
The system, advocated by Parking and Transportation cial constraints.'
Services and administered by RecSports, will have the construction:
bicycles for rental at two locations - one on North intervals to serve
Campus and one on Central Campus - and will have it might be diffic
rent on a daily or weekend basis for $5 or $10 respec- period of time. G
tively. There will also be the option of renting a few able for such proi
bikes on a semester basis. option to mitigat
Even though this system is commendable, a better ing an initial hig]
idea would be to implement a bicycle-sharing program subsequent hours
on campus, which would essentially consist of several albeit at the risk o
bicycle docks around campus. The user can check out a pus community w
bicycle at any dock, pay the necessary amount for usage such a system. No
according to the amount time the bike is used and vides a fun, health
return the bike at any dock. The benefit of this option
as compared to the rental option is that the user does Sreya Vempatti
not have to pay a flat fee, since usage fees are deter- LSA senior
1-designed on-road bike lanes, desig-
nd multi-use paths and offer bicyclists
aps to point out which route to take to
ation. Ann Arbor's infrastructure, on
onsists of a sparse and random collec-
ike lanes that end abruptly and basic
sidewalks that force bicyclists to dan-
etween pedestrians.
ng program were to be introduced in
given its current bike infrastructure,
ld go down in flames. Much like an
of connect the dots, Ann Arbor bike
ould serve no feasible purpose with-
system of bike lanes and paths to get
to another. City hall would receive
user complaints about the program's
d the lack of practical routes. Most
city and University would be down
ollars due to an ill-advised investment
rnative transit rather than a cohesive
entation. Bicycle sharing is an impor-
Ann Arbor's alternative transporta-
city and University must first connect
ter
d on length of time used. In addition,
bikes in several locations on campus
ocations means greater convenience
g programs already exist at some uni-
ng Tufts University and Washington
The University of Michigan has yet
imilar program largely due to finan-
The vast camp s area would mean
of several docking stations at suitable
e the large campus community, and
ult to generate revenue in a suitable
overnment funding is usually avail-
grams, so this could be one possible
e the cost of implementation. Levy-
Ih cost on usage with lower costs for
might help keep the system running,
f student opposition. The entire cam-
ould benefit with the introduction of
t only is it emissions-free, it also pro-
hy way to get around campus.
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