Something worth discussing

Here is welcome news about some efforts that a group of individuals from Michigan is spearheading--to recover ancient strains of tree life and begin planting new groves of these either endangered or now-lost species.

Here's the news item.

Here's the website.

Like the famous Methuselah trees, these old redwoods and other species will also help reverse the narrowing of the number of tree species commonly seen around the country, planted at the hands of developers and municipal/park system planners with good intentions but little imagination and environmental sophistication.

Class #12, 4/15/13

Due tonight: **For next week: From Chapter 11, Economics, Sustainability and Response--
------>Rees, "Sustainable Development: Economic Myths and Global Realities," pp 661ff;
------>Pojman, "The Challenge of the Future...," pp 735ff
------>Foresman, "Strategic Monkeywrenching," pp 747ff
------>Martin, "Ecosabotage and Civil Disobedience," pp 751ff
Write a page: Summarize the main points in Martin's argument.

**Examination/discussion over the radical side of environmentalism.

**One more document to look at, on EcoAnarchism (handout).

**For next week: from Chapter 9, "Race, Class and Gender"--Read:
------>Westra, "The Earth Charter," pp 606ff.

Class #11, 4/8/13

**Due this week: From Chapter 8, Climate Change--
------>Pew Center, "Understanding the causes of Global Climate Change," pp 413ff
------>Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 437ff.
Writing: Go to Bjorn Lomborg's website, lomborg.com, and survey what he says about climate change and environmentalism in general. Compare his critique with that of Gardiner. Who's right?

**Some discussion on climate change positions today.

**Carbon Footprint quizzes and discussion.

**Group work on global priorities.

**For next week: From Chapter 11, Economics, Sustainability and Response--
------>Rees, "Sustainable Development: Economic Myths and Global Realities," pp 661ff;
------>Pojman, "The Challenge of the Future...," pp 735ff
------>Foresman, "Strategic Monkeywrenching," pp 747ff
------>Martin, "Ecosabotage and Civil Disobedience," pp 751ff
Write a page: Summarize the main points in Martin's argument.

Class #10, 4/1/13

**Due tonight:   From Chapter 9:  "Pollution:  Soil Air Water."  Read:

------>French, "You Are What You Breathe,"  pp 314ff

------>Bradford, "We All Live in Bhopal," pp 322ff

------>Baxter, "People or Penguins...," pp 327ff

Write:

------>The oil company British Petroleum and its partners have spent billions of dollars to clean up the effects of the Gulf of Mexico spill and to compensate both individuals and governmental bodies for their losses and expenses relating to the accident.  Do you feel that the punishments have been just and that enough has been done to prevent and deter further carelessness in the extraction of energy resources?  

**Discussion of readings and tonight's topic.

**Here are links to some of the videos related to tonight's lesson--
------>On the Bhopal tragedy:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT4lz4hzPWQ
------>On the Pacific trash vortex,  #1:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc6LvdsyJ4U
------>and #2:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yiPZNsW8fI
------>On another type of pollution--from diet and medicine:  http://www.ted.com/talks/award_winning_teen_age_science_in_action.html
  

**Feedback/sharing on  progress with nature observation.

**For next week, 4/8/13:  From Chapter 8, Climate Change--

------>Pew Center, "Understanding the causes of Global Climate Change," pp 413ff

------>Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 437ff.

Writing:  Go to Bjorn Lomborg's website, lomborg.com, and survey what he says about climate change and environmentalism in general.  Compare his critique with that of Gardiner.  Who's right?  

Class #9, 3/25/13

**Due this week:   Still from Chapter 5:  "Population and Hunger."  Read:
------>Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 296ff
------>Murdoch and Oates, "Population and Food...," pp 306ff
Writing: 
------>About a page:  Why do you think it's important to settle the question of whether there is actually enough food to prevent starvation in the world, or, if not, then is Hardin' solution the only just one? 

**Discussion of readings.

**Assessment of correlation between governmental corruption and hunger.  We'll use the index compiled on transparency.org.

**For next week:  From Chapter 9:  "Pollution:  Soil Air Water."  Read:

------>French, "You Are What You Breathe,"  pp 314ff

------>Bradford, "We All Live in Bhopal," pp 322ff

------>Baxter, "People or Penguins...," pp 327ff

Write:

------>The oil company British Petroleum and its partners have spent billions of dollars to clean up the effects of the Gulf of Mexico spill and to compensate both individuals and governmental bodies for their losses and expenses relating to the accident.  Do you feel that the punishments have been just and that enough has been done to prevent and deter further carelessness in the extraction of energy resources?  

Class #8, 3/17/13

**Due tonight--remaining mid-term papers handed in (I've received several).

**Due tonight--reading:   Chapter 5, Population and Consumption

------>Bill McKibben, "...The Challenge of Overpopulation and Overconsumption," pp 260ff
------>Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 272ff
------>Jacqueline Kasun, "The Unjust War against Population," pp 282ff.

**Discussion of Kohak's essay.

**Discussion of McKibben, Hardin and Kasun.

**----->Working in groups: Here are a group of lifestyle questions to consider. On the first time through them, answer each question about how you and your family have dealt with these issues in the past few years or months.

1--What wakes you up in the morning?

2--How do you find out what the weather will be today?

3--Who fixed breakfast; what did you eat?

4--What type of work do you do?

5--How do you get to work?

6--What do you bring for lunch? (--or do you bring a lunch?)

7--What time did you leave work to get home?

8--Who fixed dinner? How long did it take?

9--How did you obtain the meat items you had for dinner?

10--What about vegetables, and fruit?

11--Where do you keep your milk and butter?

12--When's the last time you ate something that had been frozen?

13--What did you do with the dinner waste and leftovers?

14--What do you do with your household trash?

15--I know this is nosy, but what happens to the human waste from your household?

16--What happened the last time someone got sick from the flu? What did happen (or would have happened) when someone broke a bone or had another serious injury?

17--When is the last time you heard from your family in Massachusetts? Assuming you needed to get a message to them, how long would it take to reach someone? What if it were urgent?

18--What is the anticipated level of education of the majority of your family (of your generation or younger)?

19--What do you do for entertainment? What pastimes does your family enjoy together?

Now your instructor will give you another processing assignment to go over, using the same questions. You'll need to use your imagination.... General discussion will follow, and you'll be asked to make a decision.

**For next week:  Still from Chapter 5:  "Population and Hunger."  Read:
------>Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 296ff
------>Murdoch and Oates, "Population and Food...," pp 306ff
Writing:
------>About a page:  Why do you think it's important to settle the question of whether there is actually enough food to prevent starvation in the world, or, if not, then is Hardin' solution the only just one?

Class #7, 3/4/13

We'll have an abbreviated class this evening, because I have to return to the other side of town before it gets too late.   Dismissal will probably be around 6:45.

**For tonight--Reading:  Some classic formulations of ecological morality--Chapter 4:
------>L-M. Russow, "Why do Species Matter?" pp 190ff
------>A. Schweitzer, "Reverence for Life," pp 198ff
------>Aldo Leopold, "Ecocentric Ethics: The Land Ethic," pp 222ff
------>C. Stone, "Should Trees Have Standing?"  pp 246ff
------>Write a page:  Why, in the absolute sense, should I care about the rest of life on earth, now or in the future?  Or, should I not care?  Explain your answer.

**Discussion of readings, especially Schweitzer and Leopold.

**For next meeting, March 18:  Readings from Chapter 5, Population and Consumption
------>Bill McKibben, "...The Challenge of Overpopulation and Overconsumption," pp 260ff
------>Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 272ff
------>Jacqueline Kasun, "The Unjust War against Population," pp 282ff.

**Writing:   A short mid-term paper.
Read the article (handout) by Dr. Erazim Kohak, and follow the directions (also a handout) for the synopsis and critique.  If you lose your article, it's here.  And the rubric is here. The rubric has been a little fussy to open.  If you can't, e-mail me.