Cultural/ Societal/Demographic
The need for portable water purification systems across America is rapidly growing. Individuals all over the world invest in portable water filters for various reasons. Outdoor enthusiasts, survivalist, and individuals living in third world countries; consider it an emerging necessity.
Lifestyle Trends
Outdoor Enthusiast:
Hunting, fishing, camping, and backpacking are just some of the activities that an outdoor enthusiast revels. There is no particular profile when describing a typical outdoor enthusiast except, that they consider the outdoors their second home. “They are all genders, ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and income levels”. (outdoorindustry.org) Their garages and storage units are occupied by bikes, backpacks, tents, hunting rifles, and emergency preparedness kits.
Outdoor enthusiast are the industry’s most zealous supporters; making outdoor recreation a top economic driver across the nation. From a study done in 2012 by the Outdoor Industry Association, it was found that “140 million Americans make outdoor recreation a priority in their daily lives”. (outdoorindustry.org) Americans spend an average of $646 billion on outdoor recreation each year. Product Sales for outdoor gear and purchases for trip/travel make up the $646 billion in direct sales each year. Outdoor gear product sales are estimated at $120.7 billion, while trip/travel product sales are estimated at $524.8 billion. (outdoorindustry.org)
According to the Wilderness Survival Handbook by Michael Pewtherer, “Water is a high life priority.” Portable water filters are an integral part of emergency preparedness kits. They are included in the outdoor gear category, and make up a large portion of the $646 billion that i...
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... of one form or another” (McKinney).
Survivalist
After such horrific tragedies such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Americans have learned to become more aware of their surroundings. Some have even felt the need to be more prepared in the event of an unexpected catastrophe. In 2012, three millions Americans fell into the category known as a survivalist. (UK Daily Mail). Survivalist are “comprised of various age groups, social statuses, political beliefs, and all ethnicities and philosophical outlooks” (theprepperjournal.com).Survivalist invest a subsequent amount of their income to prepare for the unexpected. It is also estimated that 300,000 people frequently visit websites such as “survivalblog.com” to keep up-to-date with popular trends in their field of interest.
Cultural Values:
The American culture is more diverse then it has ever been. It is a “melting pot”
Perhaps, the “Melting Pot” myth gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. With millions of immigrants entering the United States, culture was changing within the United States. Americans set a high standard for there society and everyone wanted to be accepted. There was a social requirement to live in a civil society creating together the “American Dream,” which leads to prosperity. Many immigrants moving to the United States brought with them various traditions of their culture and after moving, they repressed such beliefs and forged ahead with a new way of “American Thinking.” The rituals and traditions of such societies should have brought diversity to this nation’s culture however, these ways would soon become a part of the past. The “Melting Pot” myth heavily influences American society and people believe that everyone no matter what skin color or religious belief is created equal. This belief of the American Way of life is idyllic to say the least. Unfortunately, this myth has been thwarted due to a high level of racial supremacy within the nations past and even present. There are two particular events in national history, which will forever hinder equality: slavery of African Americans and Japanese internment camps during World War II in America. These substantial events shape our society and are only the tip of the iceberg when it
These people from different areas of the world will become a part of our work force, neighborhoods and schools. The inclusion of a variety of cultures into our society sets the stage for the concept of American being a melting pot of different nationalities of people. As a melting pot, it is
America was widely known as a “melting pot” of sorts for many generations. The country earned its title by accepting immigrants of various cultures and molding, or melting, them into the American lifestyle. However, the “melting pot” idea of America is starting to dissipate. According to a Newsweek Poll on the public, “only 20 percent still think America is a melting pot” (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.4). As more Americans push away immigrants and create stereotypes against said immigrants, America continues to lose its title as a “melting pot.” There is ethnic friction in America and people have begun to have a hard time assimilating (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.18). .America is beginning to place a negative outlook on its culture. Authors Jack Shaheen, Richard Rodriguez, Peter Marin and Zora Neale Hurtson all shape American culture in a detrimental way.
Students attending American schools are taught clearly about the United States’ image as a melting pot; however, there is evidence to support that, while there is not an official federal stance on the matter (Sengupta), the amount of assimilation required to be legitimately considered a “melting pot” is not being reached. Although similar, there is often confusion about the differences between “multicultural” and “assimilated” communities. By definition, assimilation is the complete “merging of cultural traits from previously distinct culture groups” (Dictionary), while multiculturalism is delineated as the “preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation” (Dictionary). Early to mid-1900’s America entertained the idea of a melting pot, where people from all parts of the world would join together and assimilate. It seems, however, that the growing trend has been to treat America as more of a “salad bowl” (Porter), in that people are joining together but instead of merging as one unit, are maintaining a majority, if not all, of their primary culture with little attempt to adapt. This underachievement has left America to unintentionally become a multicultural society. The clear differentiation between expectation and reality brings vast amounts of controversy among the nation’s people.
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
Drinking water is one of our basic needs in order to survive, therefore the water that we drink and cook with must be of a high quality, and filtered of any harmful contaminants.
The age old question that many ask today is “what is an American?” America is continued to be called the “melting pot” of the world. This statement refers to the combination of different cultures and ethnicities throughout the United States. The diversity of America should not take away from the history and foundation it was found upon. ...
One of the activities I have seen is hiking in the mountains. Most people do it for the view not so much as the rush or thrill of the whole thing. The hike through the forest is amazing. This wonderful things with hiking is shown by a photo I took from my hike in Glenwood Springs. It shows my friends in it. The trees seem to be almost hugging around him almost making a frame for it. Another exhilarating activity is snowboarding in the winter in Colorado. People go there to glide on the snow and do maneuvers like skateboarders do, but the whole mountain is like their playground and going to the peak, treating the mountains and rocks like obstacles. This is shown by a picture that was taken by one of my friends of a snowboard and ski place in the mountains. It show many kids and even adults, sliding around enjoying the weather. Even though it is very cold, they still like to have fun. Camping is very huge in Colorado especially for families. Camping is a way for people to try to disconnect from their everyday life at home and just see the great outdoors and wildlife that roams around the acres and acres of trees and grass. This is demonstrated by the picture I took on my last camping trip. It shows all the gear and my aunt setting up all the things around this site we rented. As you can see, this picture perfectly shows the disconnection from the average everyday life. By the grill, we have
Having a nice cold glass of water is taken for granted by many, yet that necessity can be a safety concern for others. From environment racism to lax governmental oversite the monitoring of water sources has become a hot issue. While Americans have some of the cleanest and safest water in the world, unsafe water is still found across the country.
Clean water is needed for good human and animal health, but as DoSomething.org states, over 1 billion people worldwide don’t have a means of getting clean drinking water, an...
As the time passes, the statistics of the engagement of the population participating in outdoor recreation activities has been at a high and low. These fluctuations could cause many problems in the future of outdoor recreation activities around the world. There are three main topics that will be focused on in this paper; what affects the future of outdoor recreation, demographics, and technology. Counties, states, territories, and provinces need to realize, and take into consideration what can affect the future, such as new developments (houses, businesses, and factories), a decrease in natural resources due to lumbering, mining and oil drilling. Technology also has made a major impact on how the world functions on a daily basis. It also plays a major role in outdoor recreation activities. Some forms of technology also hold people back from experiencing outdoor recreation activities, examples are internet, gaming, and television. While many can create a positive influence for example, newer ways to travel outdoors-dirt bikes, and other types of technology that make a negative impact like soil erosion. The final topic that this paper will touch upon is the demographic factor. Governments m...
Water scarcity is harmful to human life because when water is poorly managed throughout the world, those who need water are deprived of nutrients they truly need, causing them to die. This eventually affects the global population. Therefore, many experts have proposed several solutions such as the LifeSaver Bottle, TrojanUVPhox treatment system, and Waste Water Recycling. The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well, the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development.
Participating in recreation and leisure activities is an extremely important part of our lives. It may not always be noticeable, but most people are taking part in such activities every single day. Anything from surfing on the web to surfing in the ocean is considered a recreational/leisure activity. Without them, life would certainly be very mundane. As for myself, there are three that I participate in constantly. The first would be exploring and traveling to other countries. Human beings, a naturally migratory species, are drawn to traveling and not staying within one location. My need to travel is mostly fueled by the desire to experience something new and the rush of being thrown into unfamiliar surroundings. My second favorite leisure
Many people around the world need water. Around 780 million people are unable to get clean water (One Billion Affected). People who do have access to clean water in their homes, have to pay a fee. The people who struggle to live obviously do not have enough money to buy water. People who are unable to have clean water have a good chance of dying either from disease or from dehydration. At least 3.4 million people die a year from water problems such as sanitation (One Billion Affected).
2006). To me recreation is having fun with people that makes you laugh and smile. Outdoor recreation, to me, means to remember the joy that nature brought me at five years old with friends and family exploring what Mother Nature provides us and feeling youthful again. Sometimes this would be exploring the countryside, seeing what humanity has not touched, and running around the fields at top speed. Finding a new path to take or just exploring somewhere new by hiking to a swimming hole, or even just walking around somewhere new and taking in all the details so you can recreate them in a drawing to share with people and to look back on years from now. During my experience simulation, I walked along paths in the forest by my house and took in every detail that nature provides. I would look at a fallen tree and remember being at my cottage climbing a falling tree and wanting to hang off it. I saw all the leaves changing colour and remembered cleaning up the grounds of my family farm and then wanting to jump into the colourful pile. My experience gave me memories of when I was younger and it allowed me