Establishing a Sustainable Community in McQuairre - Case Study Example

Mcquarrie Case Study Swn 008 Соmmunity Рrоjесt Rероrt Name: ID: Lecturer: Date: Abstract A community consists of a group of people located in a common location, focused on the same goals and objectives. Cohesion is established among people from different background, perceptions and approaches to life. Establishing a sustainable community to the satisfaction of the people within the area is a challenging task due to several problems occurring among different people within the same area. These issues may be a stumbling block towards further development especially when they are not promptly addressed. McQuairre community is faced with such challenges. These include ethnic conflict, domestic violence, poor housing and garbage disposal. This study focuses on the environmental issues affecting the community. Pressure on the limited amount of land, poor garbage disposal, pollution from industries, and psychological stresses affecting care of the environment are of major concerns. These issues can be addressed amicably using the community resources. Proper settlement of refugees in the public housing prevents encroachment to dangerous areas and curbs slum development. Garbage bins and recycling of wastes improves waste management. Restriction of factories against emitting harmful wastes will prevent air and water pollution that debilitates biological life. It is important to involve all stakeholders so that they can undertake their roles. Education in school, proper industrial practices and legislative laws made by local authorities should all focus on promoting environmental care. Sustainability of the programme is possible once members understand and identify their direct link towards the process and maximally utilize their available resources. Addressing these environmental problems will be only a step in assisting McQuairre community in establishing a sustainable environment that promotes their development both at an individual and community level. Larger strides will be made when all the other problems are identified and handled as well. Introduction There is no man who lives like an island. It suffices to say that every individual belongs to a certain group, organization or society. A successful community strikes a balance between an individual’s influence on the community and the vice versa (McMillian and Chavis, 1978). Basic characteristics therefore need to be used to define the exact term of a community. The same can be said of the McQuarrie community. A community is localized in a particular geographical region that is accessible to it members. The members reside comfortably in these areas without causing environmental pressure or concern. The community members are at liberty to demarcate the common area. For example, schools will be surrounded with fences. Several communities also show demarcations using border lines from one community to the next. The communities are defined by common values and ideologies that distinguish them from another community. The members show strict obedience to these rules and those who are unable to abide by them may face certain consequences before acceptance into the community. Every member in the community serves as a unique entity that is independent of the others yet they still require some form of acceptance and belonging among their own people. This is displayed when members of the same community are able to support each during times of calamity or rejoice together from the victory of one of theirs. There will be looming crisis in an area without any structure of law to deal with those people who engage in unacceptable practices within a community. These laws are commonly made by the assigned authorities. The involvement of the local members is however important so that their acceptance hence obedience will be easily attained. As stated earlier a community is owned by a set of common people. The success of any community will require the active involvement of all its members regardless of their age, gender, or family background. The efforts of one individual cannot outweigh those made by the entire community. It is important for a community member to identify a suitable role that will eventually have a noticeable impact in the entire community. The Critical Issue of McQuarrie Area McQuarrie area is a small established community of 92,000 people. The community is indicates signs of good development. This is based on their industrial growth i.e. the smelter, tannery and abattoir. This indicates sufficient employment opportunities. Availability of food is evident based on the lucrative horticultural industry (market gardens) and the livestock farms (pig, chicken and the beef farming). The community services are well catered for in term of education (State Primary and High Schools), health care (local and private hospital), entertainment (Cultural center) and the counseling services on alcoholism, sexual assault among other vices. In view of this infrastructure, McQuarrie community shows the capability to cater for the need of the members. The community faces major challenges that draw back their strides towards improvement of their community. The problems are seen to affect each member of the community either directly or indirectly; an indication that these problems are more communal than individualistic. Some of the challenges identified include psychological issues (domestic violence and mental instability), environmental issues (littering) and racism (immigrants in the community from Samoa, China as well as refugees from Chad, Iraq and others), unemployment crisis (shut down of the abattoir and the tanning industry). It is possible to address all these problems from its main points of concern. However, this would be a tall order on assigned groups or even meet the community goals holistically. The best approach is to identify a particular critical issue and channel ways of addressing the problem. The changes instilled in the community from this aspect will eventually have a positive influence on other challenges. This project concentrates on the environmental issues affecting McQuarrie community. Dealing with the environmental issues will also be reflected on good health and practices desired for the community members. McQuarrie community land occupies a small Aboriginal population. The members can be comfortably sustained by the land. Pressure on the land is caused by the immigration of other populations such as the refugees from Sri Lanka and Iraq. Due to the lack of sufficient land to settle the additional populations, there will be encroachment of people in dangerous area to live. Possible settlement near the factories and the construction of poor shelters leads to mushrooming slums in the community. These are target areas for pollution and spread of diseases among people living in the same area. The health sector in a particular country will actually incur more costs in eradicating diseases arising in the slums as compared to control within urban organized settings (Lee et al, 2006). Air pollution will be a common occurrence in the community. This is due to the processing activities carried out in the various industries located in the community. Gas fumes released in the air from factories may contain toxic substances like sulphates. Studies indicate a direct link between bronchitis and the air pollution. This will increase the morbidity and mortality rates like in England and Japan. The provision of cleaner air is shown to impact a 40% reduction in these rates (Santos, 1973). The industrial wastes are normally released as sewerage. Deposition especially in water bodies will lead to water pollution. This has adverse effects on aquatic life due to the change in the mineral balance. Consumption of the water by community members is an entry point of various diseases including cancer e.g. lung cancer has been strongly linked to the arsenic contaminated water in Chile (Ferreccio et al, 2000). Similarly, deposition of the wastes on the bare land will create problems in the farming industries e.g. market gardens in the area so that the plant produce may contain toxic substances that could eventually harm their health after a long duration of time. The presence of scattered litter within the community creates environmental hazards. This is because the litter is mostly composed of non-biodegradable substances which remain on the land for quite some time. This may eventually become breeding sites for a diverse number of insects which are vectors of majority of the parasites that are responsible for disease. The increased number of vectors that spread disease will overwhelm the community’s efforts towards better health. The bodies of the unused vehicles may release toxic substances that were previously used for the running of the vehicles and therefore lead to a similar scenario. These parts could also cause trauma to children of the community members who enjoy playing around these sites and unknowingly get cut by the vehicle parts. Psychological cases including alcoholism, domestic violence and mental instability may not seem to affect the community. However, a person with poor mental stability will not take keen interest in tending for oneself, let alone the environment. This means that most of those affected will carry out certain practices that contribute to environmental issues. There is a high possibility of throwing litter and use of dangerous items they may pick up around the place. The problems identified above raise environmental concern. The larger picture is on the health crisis presented to the community by these health problems. The health of the community is highly affected by the environment since a large number of diseases are spread through poor environmental practices. Unfortunately, these diseases have a communal course so that the number of members affected keeps increasing by the day. It is therefore justified to deal with these situations appropriately which will benefit the whole community in the long run. Project goals Setting up targets to deal with the environmental issues is the next step within the community. This will provide a standard approach to the problems and a means to identify the progress in the strides towards a better environment. The short term goals should reflect on the identified issues to ensure their relevance and faster implementation process. Reduction of pressure in the land from various activities like agriculture and human settlement should be done. Control of water and air pollution contributed by the industries located within the community is required. Identifying better methods of garbage disposal and getting rid of the vehicle bodies within the area should be done. Promote good hygienic practices by the community members to facilitate a safer environment. The long term goals include the following. Improve the health status of the community members due to proper environmental practices. Encourage community based approach in promoting a healthy environment. Establishing a long term strategy that will be used by other neighboring communities to also improve their environmental care. Project implementation Implementation of the discussed solutions is the critical step in defining the difference between the talk and the action. This requires the input of various stakeholders and their commitment towards attaining the goals. The settlement of refugees in the limited land creates pressure on the land. This should be addressed by the local authorities to ensure that they settle them appropriately. The local housing agency should renovate the public housing within the area for the residence of the other populations. This will prevent the encroachment of people in dangerous areas like the factories and reduce environmental hazards like factory fires or electrocutions. Holding peaceful talks with the governments of these populations to express the burden in the community and facilitate the return of the refugees back to their home in a peaceful manner. The industries operating within the community should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure the gases released in the air and water are toxic free and that their sewerage has been treated before release into the environment. This will lower the environmental pollution crisis. The industries should also find better ways of disposing their wastes like recycling. Garbage disposal should be addressed by all stakeholders at their respective places within the community. Allocation of garbage waste disposal bins around the community will not people a reason to throw litter. This will allow easier collection of garbage and prevent the increase in the number of insect vectors that cause disease. The vehicle parts strewn within the environment can be put into use in other activities. For example, the vehicle tires can be used for playing within the primary schools by the children. The metallic parts can be smelted in the smelter factory and converted into other metallic devices used by those in the hardware industry. Good hygienic practices cannot be overemphasized. All members of the community should be taught the importance of individual practice of good hygiene within their homes and work station. Introduction of good hygienic practices within the school curriculum will teach the children about them, for example, washing hands before eating and collection litter in the compound. Hosting plays or skits within the cultural center that reflect on the importance of good hygienic practices will engage everyone. Printed posters or banner by the counselling department around the community will teach the members various hygienic practices. The solutions discussed above require a strategic plan that ensures their implementation hence progression to the desired community. It is important to sustain these practices within the community to avoid the possibility of failed projects in the long run. Improvement of the community health at large requires sorting out the issue from all aspects e.g. economic, social and cultural. People will be able to relate in any one of these approaches so that the fight for a cleaner environment is carried out effectively. Addressing the matter in schools, factories and social events as stated in the short term goals fulfills this purpose. The hospitals should also embark on a mental campaign programme to rehabilitate the mentally unstable and offer counselling for anger management. The affected community members will gradually regain their mental state and thereby engage in healthy environmental activities. The solutions should benefit the majority of the people in the area. This based on their prioritized issues of concern. Community guidance should be set up requiring the participation of each person within the area. Therefore environmental education should be approached in a different manner for all the stakeholders involved so that they can identify their direct link to the course and implement the process e.g. a factory owner should be informed of the danger imposed on his workers by the pollution from their machinery. Commitment and satisfaction in one’s community will improve their loyalty and fulfillment of their responsibilities in the neighborhood (Ahlbrant and Cunningham,1979). Provision of a platform for interactions and discussion will guide the implementation process. Regular discussion among the members of the community in the social hall will aid in foresight of emerging environmental crisis like factory hazards so as to initiate control measures before they affect the entire community. The authorities should also organize social events like ‘ENVIRONMETAL DAY’ in the community so that people will appreciate their environment and address them in future. Categorizing the issues at hand will enable the community to deal with more grievous matters before handling other minor problems. This will ensure appropriate use of the limited resources. It will also provide the members with a strategic course of action so that they can move progressively from one problem to another while they acknowledge the progress being made. Dealing with air pollution will be more important than organizing cultural events. Keeping record of the achievements made after a certain period will also be useful in progressive achievement of the community. Addressing environmental issues in McQuarrie community is an appropriate but limited approach towards resolving the myriad of issue in the community. This addresses only the portion of health care concerned with preventable diseases as most of them can be handled by simple hygienic practices. However, other concerns like mental health status, child abuse and domestic violence require a different approach to the issue. Once these problems are addressed, McQuarrie community will enjoy the full benefits of eradicating all these problems one at a time. References Santos, M. (1973). Air pollution and human health. Readings in biology and man. pg294-296 David W. and Chavis M (1986). Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory. Journal of Community Psychology. 14. College of Vanderbilt University. Ahlbrant, R and Cunningham, J.(1979). A new public policy for neighborhood preservation. New York: Praeger. Ferreccio, C. González, C. Milosavjlevic, V. Marshall, G. Sancha, A. Smith, A. (2000). Lung Cancer and Arsenic Concentrations in Drinking Water in Chile. Epidemiology. 11(6).pp673-679. Lee, W. Albert, I. Alon, U and Mitermayer, G. (2007). Slum health: Diseases of neglected populations. BMC International Health and Human Rights. 7(2). Read More