FOR BLOGS
Materials
- It makes me angry about how often environmental injustice occurs in the name of big corporations and the economy. Further that we are willing to let the government not protect us from the big companies in order to build their economy. Our health and environment safety are being put on the line. Due to this, we need to be able to change our ways and be willing to give up a few things that we don’t exactly need. There are things people can give up in the name of the environment, that won’t sacrifice their ability to use the things they love.
2. Yes, it is a place for ethical sustainability this is because people can come in and make new technology that uses fewer materials. Aswell as 3d printing.
3. Materials at UNE that good is more sustainable are the materials used in the Athletic trainer room because in the room there are excessive amounts of plastic used. There are many replacements available that could be reused instead of being thrown away right away.
4. The stuff and materials thrown away and recycled on campus are sent to eco-Maine to be sorted and processed.
5. My uh-oh moment was on page 63 when he talks about not truly knowing where something comes from. Even when I do in-depth research I still won’t truly know where my stuff is coming from even when it is said that it is made sustainable. This is something I really want to do more research on and to truly understand where my stuff comes from.
Wellness:
On page 142 Thomashow discusses the ethos of caring for the environment and living a low impact life. This lifestyle is called the “simple life” this good or simple life is based on the idea of having a deep relationship with nature, and balance. This idea connects to sustainable practices because as one reduces their high demands it will reduce the demands on the environment. However, this idea is not obtainable for the majority of society because we have so many high demands. On page 143 he states that “It’s relatively rare to find people on college campuses who claim to have achieved a balanced work life. Rather, people complain about, proclaim, or take pride in how busy they are.” Many people live high demands and are comfortable with living this way because many do not want to change their ways.
This idea of living a good life even when our lives are constantly full of high stress and tasks connects back to what he was saying earlier on page 142 with the quote that “you can’t take care of the environment if you don’t take care of the environmentalist.” As a society, we need to make sure we create a community where people take care of themselves so they can create time to take the extra step to make decisions that will benefit the environment. Instead of ordering coffee out in a plastic container you make a coffee cup at home, from bird-friendly coffee.
Secondly, on page 145 where he lists 6 behavioral tenets for implementing balance in an institution, the key idea is that if you are going to preach sustainable practices then you must be able to implement them as well as follow-through because if you expect your students to live sustainably, they need to see that it is a realistic lifestyle. It’s the idea of practice what you preach.
Curriculum:
Starting on page 151 the author discusses the act of learning by doing for sustainability practices. This is the idea he follows when making decisions on his campus for changing the curriculum. Learning by doing is the act of taking what you could be taught in the classroom but applying to real actions. This is key to sustainability practices for a whole community because the student body could all sit in one class and have a professor stand and discuss and lecture about sustainability practice, but unless it is integrated into the daily life it will not be able to resonate and hopefully stick with students in their future life. He did talk about how in college it is the time to develop the habit that we will use when we are on our own, and if the students are learning good sustainability practices because its what they just do in school, once they leave they will continue this lifestyle because it’s been integrated into their lifestyle.
The idea of having to apply what you learn in the classroom for it to really stick is not a new one, it is the same if you are learning a language or a new skill unless you practice and use it our daily lives it won’t stick. The author goes into further detail of how he weaves these practices into campus life and classrooms. He uses the slogan ” I thought using science, service, and sustainability as a slogan was a fine way to weave those routines through campus life. ” (151) This slogan shows his taking the idea of science to provide students with a factual reason for sustainability and then service to create a community that values supporting each other. Which pulls and uses the idea of sustainability ethos discussed on page 153. It’s the idea of paying deeper attention to how we learn and live and interact with our planet. Often it is easy to check out and not really close look at how what we are learning and doing is interacting with the world around us and what our effect is. This is why he is using the ethos to call to the community to start to pay attention to how they learn and act and then start to apply what they have been taught.
