Blog#11 (due 10/10): Write a blog entry with :
(1) one or more ideas
for either exploring a discipline (either a new one or one we have already
covered),
(2) one or more ideas for something you'd like to explore in the
community,
(3) a summary of an article that you would like everyone to read,
and why you think everyone should read it.
*Be conscious that you need to have 200+ words, so be thorough in your ideas and justifications
Mountaintop removal is a part of our every day lives, whether we know it or not, as is stated in this national geographic article:
ReplyDeletehttp://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/when-mountains-move.html
It is a form of extracting coal, a main source of energy, from our mountains by shattering the rock with explosives. As well as fueling the state’s economy, mountaintop removal began because it is less labor intensive, more efficient, and more profitable than surface mining. Mountaintop removal was first tested in Kentucky and has now spread to West Virginia and parts of Tennessee and Virginia. Because of the largely negative affects, coal-mining companies want to keep their actions secret. What the coal companies don’t willingly let the public know are the detrimental affects mountaintop removal has on the environment and on the public. Because of the health affects mountaintop removal causes, people who have lived on land near the removal sites for generations are forced to uproot and leave, destroying the history of a place people have called home for many years. It also produces major air and water pollution, causing residents of mountaintop removal sites to develop lung diseases from the soot of coal and drink from unclean water sources. Because of how much pollution this method of extracting coal creates, parts of the Appalachians are now referred to as slurry ponds, sludge lagoons, and waste basins, which is dangerous for those who live downhill.
I think it’s important to be educated on this topic because of how directly the issue affects our world and our lives. These procedures kept hidden from us must be revealed, which is why this topic is a worthy one to discuss in our Green Explorations class. If people know how dirty their energy source is in how it effects the environment and other people, perhaps they’ll care and make an effort to support clean energy options, such as solar or wind energy. Exploring those topics would also be interesting and educational.
I also found an interesting documentary that would be worth watching in class. It’s called “The Last Mountain”. Watching documentaries, I think, is a good way to explore a discipline and become educated on a topic. I think it would also be worthwhile to explore USC’s main energy source and whether or not it is “clean” energy or not- whether our energy on campus comes from and supports Mountaintop removal. If we are aware of our every-day energy source, we can help make direct decisions about where it comes from and whether or not it is environmentally and humanely ethical.
http://youtu.be/c5wmUkpOCKE
ReplyDeleteIf we were to explore a new discipline in class, I would request that we explore the political side of the environmental world. With the election coming up this is a very touchy subject and I feel like talking about each candidate’s views on the environment would inform all of us new voters about who we are about to elect as president. I know from my own experience that I have not been following the election as closely and responsibly as a should not that I can vote, and I am sure I am not alone in the class. In the community, I would like to explore how the citizens react to local environmental laws and efforts. I know that a lot of the citizens around Columbia care about their water supplies, recycling etc and it is visible through the Green Quad, GLC, Sustainable Carolina and all of their efforts. I think it would be interesting to see how the local community’s votes will be effected solely on environmental issues as opposed to healthcare, immigration laws etc. This article attached explains how Mitt Romney wants to change the environment and the regulations that surround it. The article then goes on to tell about how difficult it will be for Romney to keep all of these promises and how Obama has failed in the past passing his own regulations. The article is a critique of both candidates ideas and is extremely useful to someone like myself who is looking for a quick summary on the candidates stand points. I suggest everyone reads it before Election Day November 6 so they are better educated as to what they are about to sign themselves up for essentially. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/politics/romney-weed-whacker-on-environmental-rules-may-falter.html?ref=earth&_r=0
1. So I’m not sure if this counts as a discipline, but I find the relationship between economics/the desire for economic growth and the consumerism culture of over consumption to be very interesting. I think this is worth studying because during the recent economic recession one economic indicator which is often cited as a test of the strength or weakness of the economy is the level of consumer spending. Analysts and economists track consumer spending between each annual holiday season and through other times of the year and they consider it a very positive sign if consumer spending has grown and a very negative sign if consumer spending has either decreased or remained roughly the same. Although I understand that when consumers spend more money that the economy grows as a result however I think it is worth analyzing whether this idea of more and more each year is really beneficial to us as a nation and as a society.
ReplyDelete2. I would like to learn more about efforts to increase sustainability in the Columbia metro area beyond our daily lives within the “bubble” of the USC campus. I think that USC still faces many environmental challenges and has a long way to go on the road to sustainability, but being a large college campus I feel that chances are that USC is much more sustainable in its practices than the vast majority of the city which surrounds our campus community. I think it would be interesting to learn about any current or possible future efforts to transplant some of the sustainability initiatives and innovations we have made here on campus into our local community?
3. This article is from Time Magazine and it describes eight different people who are helping to spark innovation in our world in a number of different ways through their ideas or products. This article is not related to the disciplines which I mentioned above but I think it is relevant because in order for sustainable lifestyles to become a reality for most citizens I believe that serious technological innovations are going to be required to make sustainable living not seem like such a drastic idea.
http://ideas.time.com/2012/10/08/the-disrupters/?hpt=hp_t3#8-innovators-reshaping-our-world
I think it would be beneficial for us to look into the local government’s stance on environmental policies. We have explored some environmental organizations in South Carolina and those at USC, but I’d like to know more about the presence (or nonexistence) of those at the state government level. I think it would be interesting to see what the leaders of South Carolina think about sustainability and how much concern they show or do not show for the environment. I think hearing their reasons for not enforcing certain policies would also be an educating experience. This way, no matter how the national election turns out, we will know what our local government’s view on the environment is. Getting to talk to someone in the local government about this would interest me as well. Although I am not particularly fond of the governmental and political side of the environmental field, I think it’s important to know your leaders’ stance on such issues. In addition to this, I think doing a little research on different areas of the country and the prominence of ‘green values’ or environmentally aware populations would help us gain perspective on how these issues are affecting people today and where they are having the most impact. I’d like to know where the “greenest” cities in America are and why they are considered to be that way. Real-life examples of how those communities work in modern-day society would show us how different systems come together to integrate an idea into everyday life. This way, we can have an example to show us that the incorporation of these ideals in our lives is attainable.
ReplyDeleteI realize that we have already covered some material on climate change, but I feel that it would be useful to explore more into this topic. Many effects of climate change and global warming are very well known (even though significant efforts may not have been made to remedy the problem). These include the warming of the earth, ozone layer depletion, deforestation, and much more. One topic that particularly interests me (since I am a marine science major) is ocean acidification. Already, the pH of our oceans (on average) has decreased from pre-industrial concentrations of 8.25 to around 8.14, a 30 percent increase in acidity. This has already had some effects on the marine environment and marine life. To make matters worse, many experts predict that this could be even more devastating to the planet than global warming. I feel that it would be very useful to explore more into ocean acidification and other important effects of the increase in CO2 emissions.
ReplyDeleteI would like to explore more into the green practices that occur on campus. While we have already done some exploring into this topic, I am sure that there is still a lot of information that isn’t as widely known. Specifically, I would like to know more about how much impact different parts of campus have on the environment. I think it would be interesting to look into how much different buildings impact the environment. For example, I would like to see which buildings/parts of campus have the most negative impacts (as we have already looked into the environmentally friendly buildings more in depth).
The article I found interesting regarded ice cap melting. This is a well known problem, but the NASA article I read stated a few things that I had not realized before. It stated that “the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing faster than the younger and thinner ice.” This is very concerning and shows that the ice cap melting issue has all of a sudden gotten larger and more important. Older ice (that has been around for generations) melting shows that global warming is having a greater impact on the environment than ever before. It shows that it will really be hard to fix the problem if steps are not taken now. Article: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/thick-melt.html
Not quite sure if this is a discipline or not, but something I feel that should be discussed more or in our class is farming, and having access to fresh fruits and vegetables. I live out in the country. Most all of my family does as well. Although my immediate family does not have a garden, many of my relatives do. But we all have the room for one. I have always wondered what people in cities do if they want a garden or to grow their own fresh fruits or vegetables, but do not have a yard or anyway to grow a small garden. This article I found shows a futuristic concept of gardening called vertical gardens or "sky gardens". Article: http://discovermagazine.com/photos/02-vertical-farms-high-hopes-for-feeding-the-future
ReplyDeleteThese gardens will provide many people in the city a way to create their own garden. Not only will it give city people the opportunity to grow their own fresh fruits and veggies, but it will also bring together communities. People will socialize and spend time with at their garden plots, or volunteering to help others and will get to form bonds with people they might not have known before. These "sky farms" sound like an amazing idea to me, and if I were to ever live in a city I would want to have the opportunity to take part in something like this. These vertical farms would also save farmers time and money in the long run. They won't have to worry about climate change, or drought costing them a crop. Also, this would eliminate the problem of having pests destroy crops.
Something we I'd like to explore in the community more would be the local farmers. How do they survive during times of drought or if their plants get a disease? How would they then make money? These are things that interest me and I'd like to know more about them.
1. One topic that I feel would be good to explore is the sustainable development in third world countries. A lot of these countries, if they are hit with an environmental disaster such as flooding, they do not have all the tools that a country like the United States does to recover. So, being aware of this I am assuming that they do not have all of the tools necessary to raise sustainability awareness and understand climate change, etc. However, since these countries are underdeveloped I question if their carbon foot print is as large as one of a country like the US. Without all of the industrialization is there still a significant negative environmental impact coming from the third world countries? Or does this lack of industry just cause them to be further behind on this topic.
ReplyDelete2. The third world countries thing is one thing that I think would be interesting to explore in class. Another thing that I think would be very important to discuss is the environmental side of politics. With all of the recent debates and the election coming up very soon I am curious as to who supports what, environmentally speaking. Also, I am curious about the projects currently in action for sustainability on campus. I understand we just had our action project week and this week is Sustainability week but I would like for us as a class to look further into ways to directly make an impact and actually be able to see the progress or impact that was made.
3. http://www.cfr.org/economic-development/report-world-commission-environment-development-our-common-future-brundtland-report/p26349
It's a very short article, but briefly explains the UN's goals for global sustainable development.
I think that as a class we should discuss the stance of different politicians on issues such as green values and climate change. With the upcoming election it is extremely important for young people to be well educated. With that being said I have been able to take what I have learned in the class and through the readings and compare my beliefs to those that I hear from politicians. I would still like to know more though. I would enjoy seeing the track record of politicians, learning which politicians are the most green and which have yet to make these values a priority. In the community I would like to see how our local politicians vote. I know this information is public, however I know I have not been responsible in how I follow these local politicians. I think that we should also explore what our rules and regulations are regarding green values. For example my dad is a Climate Leader. He became one after attending a workshop with Al Gore in August of this year. He travels a lot for his job but he is currently in Maine. In Maine they have many rules on the amount of trash he is allowed to produce. I believe that South Carolina should make the state more sustainable as a whole. I recently read an article about who pollutes our state the most. Although there are some regulations on pollution through government companies are still destroying our Earth. The article discussed how in order to fix the issue companies need to move to more sustainable energy sources, but in order to do that these resources must become more readily available to the companies. I think that everyone should read the article because it will take activist, passionate people, to make the change. The change that needs to be made in order to save the Earth is our responsibility and it is our job to make sure that the action required is made.
ReplyDeleteIn this class and many others, we have discussed in great detail many of the problems the modern world faces. What I generally do not know however is what is being done right now in response. I would like to study the current technologies, studies, and developments in disciplines such as biogeoscience (which we briefly touched on in my high school course) and sustainability sciences to understand what the plausible solutions are for the future. I feel like reminders of the energy crisis are ubiquitous, but I have no idea what sorts of potential is on the horizon or what the alternatives most worthwhile to research further would be. I would like to know the potential benefits and drawbacks as well as the current developments in different methods of energy source research in order to better focus my view and discussion of the issue. The science behing water purification systems and the societal issues associated with their scarcity would also be a useful tool to understand. Hydrology presents the most pressing problem for the next generations, so it would be proactive for us to start learning as much as possible about it now.
ReplyDeleteFor the community, I think we should have a better grasp on what current legislation is in debate and how it would effect environmental policy. I also think the gardening crusade should be studied in order to find the best way to make it more efficient and widespread so that the dining services can use it more dependently. This could hopefully lead to some better vegetarian or at least healthier food options at more manageable costs.
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/big-food-vs-big-insurance/
This article is by Michael Pollan whose book I read last year. His insights radically changed my perspective on food and the agricultural system. This article discusses the reasons behind the struggling health care system paralleling the "Big Food" system. Pollan always gives poignant remarks on the consequences of the food industry and thinking twice about what goes on our plates.
In our class we should thoroughly look into the 2012 candidates stances on green ideas, and what ideas they have for the future of our planet. As brought up previously by many before, something that they should at least have an idea about improving is the global warming issues. The in class discussion would highlight something that could effect the voting stances on many and touches on a highly relevant topic. We can evaluate their ideologies and positions more accurately than others with our learnings from within this class thus far.
ReplyDeleteSomething in the Columbia community I'd like to explore more into would be recycling. I noticed very quickly when I transferred here last year, that many of the off campus housing developments don't have recycling or even off-campus bins to spark the idea that one should do that. I know at home recycling gets picked up curbside multiple times throughout the week, and even on many college campuses at home they strongly enforce the importance of recycling. So it'd be interesting to see where Columbia and USC are in their progress of possibly reaching somewhere close to being sustainable like that.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/on-our-radar-mock-candidates-go-head-to-head-on-energy/
This article is by the New York Times, for which they have an entire blog section dedicated towards green. The article discusses the mock trials of wind turbines and our presidential candidates debate the future of federal energy policies. It's talks about the effects that could happen within the next 8 years and the impact that these wind turbines could have.
One thing that we covered in class that I found to be very interesting and also an extremely good way to greatly increase sustainability was the idea of bettering the disposable plates and cups in the dining halls at USC. If this idea could be spread not only to other universities but to all restaurants and even homes across the country the amount of waste being created would be greatly decreased. Such a simple idea that just needs to be spread could have such an enormous impact on the world of today and on in to the future.
ReplyDeleteSomething I would like to delve deeper into in the community is the problem we have with the Rocky Branch Watershed. Time and money is being spent to try and fix the flooding problems which have become somewhat regular in multiple places around campus. These floods are not only dangerous to drivers in the city and students on campus but also to the surrounding animals and environment. There must be a solution to such a large problem right here in front of us.
The article that I found to be most interesting was the one about Net Impact. Before reading this article I did not understand how truly influential the business world can be in maintaining a sustainable environment. After reading the article, which expresses the ability of business leaders to influence those in society, I now understand that with the help of large businesses it would definitely be much easier to take a higher influence on the people of a city or even of an entire state and make them realize what we are doing to the planet on which we live.
As a political science major, I would like to explore the green views on both sides of the up coming election. Going deeper into the views of Mitt Romney as well as President Obama and to research where they see our country in the future on a “greener” standpoint. Not only will this greatly separate both candidates but also it will show in which direction they want to take the country. This can help those who do not follow politics as much and to assist them on deciding a candidate in which they share the same outlooks on the environment.
ReplyDeleteSince I am very new to the Columbia area and I am still trying to get down my bearings, a place where I feel our class should explore would be the local farms around here. Exploring the type of agriculture in Columbia can educate us in the way of how various plants and animals are produced and sold around our campus and local grocery stores. This will show us not only where our food comes from that we eat but the difference between how organic products are grown as well.
In this smaller article presidential candidate Mitt Romney explains how he is going to help American agriculture and why he is addressing the controversial issue. Romney called himself out by wanting to take action on the farm bill. Then Romney stated that he would work hard to get it passed and to end this everlasting stall that has been put on. I feel by expressing Mitt Romneys side of American agriculture and where he wants to help out only is a small step in getting deeper with both candidates views on our environment. http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/10/09/romney-lays-out-agriculture-plan-pledges-support-american-farmers.
A topic I think we should more thoroughly cover is everyday things we can practically do as students that will benefit the environment. I think we can each simply and easily change our habits into more eco-friendly habits and do away with our unsustainable habit, but not enough time is spent on talking about what exactly those habits are. We should brainstorm as a class a list and then spend a week or a few days checking off how many of the sustainable choices we make to see how 'green' we are. If we find that these tips and choices helped us then we can share it with other students and faculty. Passing out a list or creating an iphone app for student to check off 'green choices' can help create a more sustainable Carolina one student at a time, as long as we are knowledgeable of what we can do and how to encourage others to make these small changes.
ReplyDeleteWhat we should explore more in the community is Columbia's attempts to be more sustainable and how our efforts as a campus, a class and in Sustainable Carolina can affect the city's or even the state's green choices. I know politics and economics play a role in every choice, but I think such a large number of student that live in Columbia can have an effect on the city's governmental policies, such as the choice to sell the old baseball field to a developer. We should be allowed to speak to the local government about the effects such choices have on the whole community which includes those of us living and attending school here. It may seem like we are too young to understand the big picture but it is our community too.
An interesting article is "Paper or Plastic? Some communities say neither". Several cities in California have banned retailers from giving customers bags and instead require them to charge 5 to 10 cents for a bag. Their purpose is to not only decrease waste but cause consumers to stop and consider sustainability. It has caused a controversy with high-end retailers and some others in the community but is expected to spread to many other major cities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/business/energy-environment/communities-curb-use-of-paper-and-plastic-shopping-bags.html?ref=earth&_r=0