Influential writings

No environmental class would be complete without a look at some of the excerpts of famous environnmentalists:

Please read the following and create a comparative visual (a t-chart, Venn diagrams, comparative mind-map) and be ready to discuss.

3 readings from Aldo Leopold (developed the plan for deer management still used today):   http://gargravarr.cc.utexas.edu/chrisj/leopold-quotes.html
C
1 reading from John Muir (developed the concept for the national park system): http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/the_mountains_of_california/chapter_10.aspx

1 reading from Thoreau (argued for the need for wild places and civil disobedience):  http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html

1 reading from Rachel Carson (founder of the modern environmental movement):  http://rachels-carson-of-today.blogspot.com/2009/11/silent-spring-rachel-carson-1962.html


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Questions

1. Which of the environmentalists has a viewpoint that most matches yours?  Extreme, Spiritual, Reflective, or Action-Oriented?

2.  How do these writers reflect a PROGRESSION in environmental thought?

3.  If you could choose one of these people as an ally in a fight against a tragedy of the commons, which one would it be?

4.  How are these view points related to the idea of "Think Globally , Act Locally?"

1 page reflection to be completed by the end of the day?

Air-Ocean-Energy Connections

The air is a commons.  The water is a commons.   Energy consumption and efforts directly affect these issues.

Tuesday: 

Jigsaw the sections on Ocean Pollution, Energy Challenges, and Air Pollution.  Sticky Note the important ideas

Create a chart that connects the impacts of wind power, biomass burning, oil/gas/grease power, water power, solar, and geothermal in a pre-1900 world.  Include effects on the land, the water, and the air.

Wednesday-Thursday:  Discussion of the commons as it relates to Air, Water, and Land.   Pick an energy issue and find out its efficiency in today's world using the century 1910 to 2010.   Is this a sustainable technology or a technology that contributes to the tragedy of the commons.   Create a PowerPoint to be used at the beginning of class on Monday.

Friday:  Today is a catch-up day.   Make sure you have turned in your reflection on poverty traps.

The challenge of poverty traps

Throughout this class we have studied about poverty traps, and the impact they have on people who are poor.   Environmental degredation comes in second to hunger, parasites, and child mortality.

Sustainability is a major concern, as well as climate change, but those are not addressed when basic needs are not met.

We ran out of time to talk about this idea yesterday, so here is today's goal:

I.  Find a project that you can support (kiva.org, heifer.org, http://carmenpampafund.org, a church-related organization or a water project, etc.).  Explain to me why you think this project will make a difference by minimizing a poverty trap.

II. Develop a plan that would allow you to change life for someone in the world by helping someone caught in a poverty trap through this organization.

III.  Tell me the environmental consequences for the region if a large part of the population is caught in a trap.    Consider the biome, the effect on population, and the effect on feeding that population.

IV.  If you believe in this cause, you could (it is not required) become an activist.  Do something over the weekend to help this organization.  This could be as simple as finding coins in your couch, redeeming pop cans, or it could be something more.  If you need an address or a resource, that's fine, I can help you find it, but the goal here is to consider a need for someone in the world that is beyond our borders.

V.  On Monday, you will be asked to write a one-page reflection on what you chose to do or chose not to do.  You will be graded on the following rationale:

5 points:  What is my plan?

5 points:  What impact does this have on the environment?

5 points:  As I balance my own needs with the needs of the environment and others, what should we ask of ourselves?

5 points:  Based on my discussions with others, are people aware of a link between poverty traps and environmental concerns?
5 points:  Is working with a group on a project a better idea than working alone?  Why or why not?

Group Project:   Banana Split:  To Eat or Not to Eat  The idea of poverty traps and poverty trap reduction is an ethical dilemma.   Only YOU can decide what to do--no one can tell you in America where to shop, what to eat, or who to support.   This project asks you to read the case study and then prepare a response that answers the following questions:

What is meant by "ethical consumerism?"
What are the differences between conventional, organic, Fair Trade, and agroforestry food production systems, and how can this affect poverty traps?
What is the history of banana production in Latin America/South America?
What are struggles with tropical agriculture, including constraints such as diseases and pests?
What happens to workers who are dealing with chemicals used to produce bananas?
Is the carbon footprint of a banana correlated to the economic benefits the workers receive?  This means we have to consider what we eat, how it is produced, and where it is produced.

Poverty: Bolivia Case Study

Define a poverty trap, in your own words.

Is child labour a poverty trap or a conscious choice?
Is education a way out?
Why would we look at poverty traps in an environmental science class?
How are things connected.

Play the simulation found here

Sites to look at:

http://www.voicesofyouth.org/
Child Labour 1
Child Labour 2
Child Labour 3
Millenium Development Goals

For tomorrow (Wednesday), make a notecard that summarizes information found and your position.  Be ready to discuss



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A quick snapshot:   http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bolivia  

Food Security:  http://www.wfp.org/content/bolivia-food-security-monitoring-2010

Population Pyramid:  http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/world-population-pyramid

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The UAC Project

Biodiversity as a Form of Natural Capital

Seed Comparison

Pick 3 gardening magazines and choose 3 crops.  For each magazine, list all the varieties of that crop offered.


What commonalities do you notice?  What differences?  Why does this matter?  DOES it matter?   Be prepared to explain it in class discussion.


Why do places like this exist?


http://www.cipotato.org/

http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/campain/svalbard-global-seed-vault.html?id=462220

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://albc-usa.org/

Case Study on Natural Capital

pp. 48-52 Ecosystems and Natural Capital

Section 3.6  Ecosystems and Natural Capital

Built Capital:  The Airline Industry 

Built Capital:  Spoil Material

Built Capital:  Golden Rice

Built Capital:  Water for Drinking

Above are 4 case studies.  If you don't like one of them, I can provide you with another.


Your goal is to identify natural, human, and built capital within the system.  The case studies provide you with the scenario at hand.   You should use the information provided to help you make decisions, but you DO NOT have to complete the case study.   You must organize the information you find into the two graphics provided yesterday.


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11/28/2012

Digitize the pyramid you made yesterday, and explain how you used the second graphic to identify the waste in your built capital.  WHAT is the waste, and HOW WIDELY does it impact your scenario.  Be specific.

Each of these scenarios has some degradation of natural capital that has occurred.  Identify the problem.   What need to happen, specifically, to encourage sustainability:

• within the ecosystem found in the scenario?
• within two specific cycles found in the scenario?
• to the attitudes or behaviors of the people found in this scenario?

Reflect on the built capital and its impact on the local community.  How will we best change attitudes and behaviors in this scenario to encourage sustainability?  You may choose voluntary actions, economic policies, or government actions.

Summarize the pyramid, and the information you found today in a 6-slide (maximum) google presentation to be shown to the class on Thursday, 1/2 hour into the period.

Grading

Completeness of pyramid:  5 pts
Identification of waste impact: 5 pts.
Sustainability solutions:  15 pts
Action Steps:  5 points
Presentation quality:  10 points

Text and Reflection Time

You will be reading pp. 207 to 215.  As you read, divide your comments into PROBLEMS and SOLUTIONS.

Then look at the Table on p.220 and compare it to this:

Linked from http://www.biomaya.com.my/v2/index.php/blog/2?view=blog 

Question 1: Contrast the two tables and decide which natural capitals are connected to the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, and the sulfur cycle.

Question 2:  Have we made industrial agriculture into a Built Capital?  Why or why not?

Crosslinked from: http://sustainabilityadvantage.com/2010/08/03/4-reasons-our-current-business-model-is-unsustainable/

Question 3:  Explain how this graphic connects to the pyramid above.

Question 4:  Define different roles for business owners, consumers, bankers, and government must undertake to help shift the scenarios shown to win-win. How likely is this today?  What three things can we do to change things over to a sustainable model?