Journal Entry 8- Reflections on Gary Gardner Articles

Religion and the Quest for a Sustainable World:

Engaging Religions to Shape Worldview:

Ritual and Taboo as Ecological Guardians:

Religious institutions are powerful and carry great influence.  The environmentalist movements will be amplified if the support of those institutions can be won.  When pursing like interests it is a wise decision to team up and unite similarities.  The passages note that an ethical dilemma exists when using religion as a means to push an agenda.  Religion is a powerful influence in politics, business, and culture already so involvement itself is not unethical however stating that people of an entire faith supports a particular agenda would be foolish and highly unethical.  It would be better to position itself behind its members who support the agenda for the same religious reasons those institutions support. 

The claim that ecological crises extend to culture and human spirit can be substantiated with science in that humans are part of nature and our spirit is affected by survivability.   Using religion as a means of control is dangerous because anything that distracts from religious messages not inherent to that religion could be sinful.  Cultures have used the institution of religion as a means of control throughout history however for the religious there can be serious repercussions to that kind of influence especially since faith is not all substantiated or denounced through science.  Often time’s religion uses faith as a way to teach peoples how to live and survive without providing the reasons for that behavior.  The links drawn between consumerism and greed discussed in many religious perspectives substantiate that claim. 

Creating rituals and taboos to reform culture would eventually reach a culture behaving in a similar fashion however; this is the same thing as revising tradition to a more sustainable fashion.  Rather than implementing resorting to very old rituals and taboos it would be more effective to create a campaign to reform how we practice our current traditions.  Typical rites of passages have been consumed by consumerist ideals adding heavy financial and environmental costs.  Not only is there an argument for environmental sustainability but there is also an argument for getting consumerism out of the way of the actual purpose and principal of these occasions. 

Journal Entry 7- Reflection on Climate Change Discussions

I believe that truth in life is learned because everything is viewed from perspective and it takes adaptability and openness to discuss everything so we can hold truth.  Truth is built upon faith and fact,   faith in the ability to trust the methods of reasoning to draw conclusions.  Because only God knows all from all perspectives so it is essential to question the methods and conclusions of everything.   Similarly no person can possibly hold a monopoly on truth.  There is always a bigger picture and many people depending on their level on the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, determines what level people can solve problems.   For a problems of proportions of climate change that is so foreign to most people when they are not focused on the big picture but on things like short term survival or happiness.

It is easy to rationalize flawed science or projections as misinformation however this is detrimental to the science of climate change because now the reliability of today’s projections are going to be questioned at the least.  Even with sound science supporting the problem and providing a solution there is always the biggest problem of all: implementation and political viability.  Economics is a science and they study, create solutions to problems, but then nothing is solved because the solution is not politically viability.  The biggest problem is not internal because our emission capacity is already high; it is the developing nations which cannot thrive on expensive alternative energy that create policy issues because there will be a double standard. 

Regarding the political forces regardless of party affiliation, they serve constituents and are influenced by the power of special interest groups.  It is not a surprise to me that even the Democratic Party which campaigned on climate change legislation would in a position to do so not.  After identifying a problem and a solution to the problem the real battle lies in the method in which you solve the problem.  In politics there is always opposition or it wouldn’t even be a political question.  The best solution is not the method used but rather the method which meets the least political opposition is chosen.  In some cases like Social Security opposition prevents any solutions from being implemented. 

The largest problem with climate change legislation is that the proposals impose regulations and limits to emissions called a carbon “footprint”.  The problem is in the incentives.   The goal of emission reduction can be reached if the energy producers are put out of business but obviously that harms those companies.  The proposed plans are all negative in that saving the environment will cost them in both efficiency, regulation, and other penalties.  I would recommend taking the money from enforcement and regulatory/policy creation to provide benefits for companies which use green methods and reduce emissions.  Supply and demand will also create incentives for more efficient alternatives.  If organizations serious in their environmental concerns would purchase rainforests that need protected, if they purchased large amounts of demanded products that emit toxins into the atmosphere supply and demand would raise prices reducing consumption by customers.   I believe there are economic incentive solutions which will start people innovating to gain actual rewards versus the idea that they are being forced to ‘help’ the environment through force. 

Reflect Upon: National Geographic Strange Days #6

In National Geographic’s Strange Days: The One Degree Factor addresses the observations by humans in recent history over the changes the earth is experiencing.  The most notable observations discussed is the North American Heard of Caribou which has been diminishing in numbers drastically.  The main worry and fear pushed in the movie is the idea that the rapid changing in earth’s temperature and weather cycles will not allow animals to adapt quick enough.  They showed how increased temperatures benefit other organisms particularly mosquitoes with longer mating seasons and they prey upon the caribou.  These contribute toward the decline in population.  

I believe that there must be a standard of living adjustment to make any human induced change however the best way to do that is through innovation, financial incentives, and demand from both consumers and businesses to adapt their current standards and practices.  Migration, shifts, and adjustments are constantly changing because earth is a diverse and ever changing environment.  The earth is able to counter balance any abnormality because for every behavior there is a counter behavior which matches that.   The problem is if the abnormality sways too far that life is threatened because the recovery time is not available then people will experience the consequences.  These consequences will range in magnitude based on the severity of the items affected.  This would include food supplies and other necessities provided by earth. 

The best way to approach the impending problems discussed in the video is to make common sense adjustments to every behavior.  If businesses reduce ‘throw away materials’ by passing on the savings to the consumers there will be a three way mutual benefit.  Businesses will be more competitive by passing the savings onto the consumers, consumers will benefit from the discounted incentives, and the environment will reduce the volume of waste and strain on its natural functions. 

Journal # 5 cancelled

Reflect upon Erik Assadourian’s article: focus particularly on his writing concerning symbols, cultural norms, ecological footprints, consumerism, education, “cradle to cradle”, and the role of the media. #4

Erik Assadourian wrote an article addressing consumer cultures in which he proposes that culture is comprised of the following elements: values, beliefs, customs, traditions, symbols, norms, and institutions which combine to create a perception of reality.  Symbols in the form of logos, trademarks, and similar brand recognition devices bombard the population daily and is now more familiar to the population than wildlife in general which adjusts the average persons valuation of products above that of nature.  I agree with Erik Assadourian's perception of culture in which people are accustomed to a waste through consumer products with a lot of single use packaging and products that do not last.  Cultural Norms is what people do in times of leisure and that norm in society today is one of purchasing goods and services.  I believe that norms can be shaped by economic trends and that business and convenience are large motivators to initiate change in cultural norms.  Traditions such as holidays and family events are experiencing growing trends and should be adjusted to reduce the expenditure of valuable resources.  Consumerism is a belief that more wealth and possessions lead to the good life and that is replacing the goal of living a meaningful life.        

Where your favorite place on campus is and what makes it attractive to you? #3

My favorite place on the FGCU campus is the FGCU Waterfront in North Lake Village because the lake provides a great view, a nice variety of vegatation/animals, and area for recreational activity in particular Sailing. 

Reflect upon your current “sense of place” and how that sense relates to educational experiences in the out-of-doors. #2

The current world population is consuming a large amount of valuable non-renewable energy sources.  It takes energy to produce mechanisms such as wind turbines and solar panels and failure to invest the non-renewable energy into producing renewable long term energy generation will make it very difficult to produce energy when the non-renewable energy sources are completely used.  The current “sense of place” is a habit and learned behavior of consumption being raised in that culture.  Educational Experiences indicate that current lifestyle behaviors and consumption rates of earth’s natural resources is not sustainable because the rate of consumption exceeds the ability to regenerate.