Pathways to Sustainability

Post # 7: 3 options (due 3/9)

Jeff McAlpine — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:06:39 +0000

This will be the final post for the term. There are two options for you. Read the National Geographic article Saving Energy It Starts at Home or view the video of Vandana Shiva speaking about the global food crisis. Do both if you want and have the time. You’re only required to do one of these and post a 2-3 paragraph response. I saw Shiva speak this weekend at the Oregon Tilth Organicology conference. She is an inspiring speaker. I just read the National Geographic article in the new March issue and thought I’d share that as well. There are no specific rules for the response this time, but consider things you could do to save energy and to help with the food crisis.

After viewing the C-Span coverage of the National Clean Energy Project meeting from Feb. 23, I thought I’d make a 3rd option. This meeting seems like the most important thing I’ve seen this term and makes me suddenly more hopeful for the future. What do you think?

Post #6 due 2/23: The Story of Stuff

Jeff McAlpine — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:53:05 +0000

This wonderful little video, The Story of Stuff, keeps coming up in our discussions, so I thought I’d share it for this week’s post. I have to thank Alyssa for sharing it. Watch the 20-minute video and then post a couple of paragraphs in response. You can incorporate some of the discussion we had in class this week during presentations of essay #1 if you like.

Post #5: The Silent Invasion (due 2/9)

Jeff McAlpine — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:50:10 +0000

Post #5: For Monday, Feb. 9 watch The Silent Invasion and post your thoughts on some of the problems and potential solutions dealing with invasive species in the Pacific Northwest, and particularly Oregon. Some questions to consider:

What are some of the possible outcomes and dangers of inaction?
What kinds of economic impacts do these invaders have?
Is it just natural, as the oyster farmer says, or do humans have a responsibility of stewardship?
What are some of the benefits of protecting the native biodiversity of an ecosystem?

Post #4: The Triple-bottom line and ‘A Crude Awakening’ (due 2/2)

Jeff McAlpine — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:50:10 +0000

Read Wikipedia’s page on the triple-bottom line and post a couple of paragraphs on how full-cost accounting will be important in creating an economy that isn’t based on our consumption of fossil fuels. You might also want to consider other points or questions that arose from the film we saw Thursday, ‘A Crude Awakening’:

What do you think about the prospects of renewables and their limitations compared to fossil fuels?
Can we overcome these limitations?
Is localization our best/only option?
What are some of the problems with hydrogen/wind/solar? Are there other options?
How does triple-bottom-line thinking fit in and what is its importance going forward?

*You do not have to respond to each of these, just consider them discussion points to guide your post as well as your responses to fellow classmates.

Post #3 due 1/26 ‘The True Cost of Food’ or ‘The Future of Food’

Jeff McAlpine — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:03:45 +0000

You can respond to either of these films or both if you like.Post a response of a couple of brief paragraphs commenting on the film. Consider these questions in your response:

Are there shopping/eating habits you can change that would help reduce your carbon footprint?
Are there any other kinds of lifestyle changes you could make or have already made? Please share them and any links you’ve found helpful.

Post #2 Your carbon footprint, due 1/19

Jeff McAlpine — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:22:17 +0000

For this week’s post, go to the carbon calculator from the Nature Conservancy provided by Dillon K. Thanks, Dillon! You can use one of the others provided in Blackboard as well, but I found this one to be more comprehensive. After you answer the questions and get your carbon score, post some analysis of your footprint. How does your footprint compare to the rest of the U.S.? How about the world? Name a few areas you could improve on. I was at 12 tons of CO2 per year, under the U.S. average of 27, but well over the world per person avg. of 5 tons. The area I need to work on most is my current status as an omnivore. When Trista Cornelius spoke last year at the Sustainability Project, she made it clear that one’s eating/shopping habits have much more of an impact than whether or not you have a hybrid car.

Post #1 ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

Jeff McAlpine — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:50:27 +0000

Post #1: An Inconvenient Truth

I’m working on streamlining the posts page, so it’s easier for you to see where to post and how. In doing so, I inadvertently deleted excellent posts from Rick and Courtney. I did give you both full credit!

Post about 250 words (a couple of short paragraphs)–more, of course, if you want and have time. Consider aspects of the film you found particularly thought provoking, or alarming. Were there things Gore said that you didn’t agree with? Things you strongly agreed with? Click on “Comments” below and then “Leave a Reply” by filling in your email and the text box and clicking “Submit.” Don’t forget to log back in later in the week to comment on at least two other fellow student’s posts. Refer to them by name when you comment. Happy blogging!