Blog #5

The whole concept of a Green Learning Community is rather new to me, however, I don't believe it's too difficult to grasp.  What you must do is question the traditional methods we've been conditioned to blindly accept as "the way", and look at learning as an egalitarian community process, as opposed to the hierarchical structure and "lecture/regurgitation get a bullshit A when you really didn't learn anything" methods we've unfortunately come to embrace.  Of course the green learning community focuses on green learning (i.e.: sustainability, equality, ecological competence) and does so in a truly democratic manner, which blurs the line between teacher and student.  

I think it would be very easy to know a Green Learning Community if you saw one.  However, I'd argue, it would even  be easy to know a GLC without sight.  If you were blindfolded and placed in a green learning classroom, you would find it very difficult to distinguish the teacher from one of the students.  The discussion based democratic class flow allows everyone to be involved in the class operation.  In a traditional class, I doubt you would sit blindfolded for more than 3 minutes without being able to point out the teacher from the rest of the people in the room.

Blog #4

So, how do I feel about green values you ask?  Well, overall, I would have to say I agree with green values.  I think for anyone who already has a passion for the environment they would feel the same way.   Unless you support environmental destruction, you can’t help but feel some connection to the green movement.  I’ve said it in a previous blog, but Deep Ecology is one of the beliefs that I can really support.  I’ve pretty much had already decided all of its core principles on my own over the course of my life, and it really is surprising the similarities.  Honestly, I feel like a lack of belief in Deep ecology is at the root cause of our current problems. 

I would have to say, the most surprising part of the readings were the “10 Key Values” of the Green Party of the United States, as listed on their website.  I would find it hard for anyone to argue against these 10 values presented here.  They are also more like guidelines, rather than rules; and the website even offers a subtext alerting you to this which states, no authoritative version is offered.  This allows any subchapter to use the key values as needed in their situation, without being confined without action by an overly rigid set of rules.  Sounds legit to me.

Blog #3

First off, I got a little gripe with the Sustainable Carolina website.  Now, I'd like to preface this by saying I am in not a web designer, and I in no way suggesting I could design a better page, BUT, I feel like the site is quite difficult to navigate.  For each heading (About us, Get involved, Academics and research, etc...) there are several subheadings that lead to a static page. To get to a different subheading, you must click back on the main heading, and select your desired subheading.  I feel like once I choose a subheading, there needs to be quick links to the other subheadings within that heading.  Additionally, it would be nice to see a listing on one page of all available team meeting times.  This would make it much easier than clicking the "get involved" tab and choosing a subheading 17 times.  End rant.

So, its not all bad, and Sustainable Carolina is obviously doing a lot to get involved and make an impact on campus here at USC.  Thank you for all your efforts.  The team I find most interesting would undoubtedly be the Recycling Team.  I have always been interested in recycling since I was young.  I find it very wasteful to keep pulling the same resources out of the Earth, when we already have mined up most all we would need to live a sustainable life, if only we were more concerned with recycling.  The Japanese have a sayin, g for this, Mottanai culture, which means basically "don't waste" culture.  I remember reading Japans aluminum recycling rate is the highest in the world.  They realize how important it is not to waste, and how could they not, supporting a world competitive economy with just a tiny land area, 70% of which is mountainous! Surely, they understand.  Anyways, got a little of tangent, but yeah, Recycling Team interests me most from Sustainable Carolina's website.

From the AASHE website, I must say that their STARS campus rating system was rather interesting.  It's kind of like a green audit of your school.  You can choose to to it as a reporting school, without publishing your results, or you can "compete" with other schools, and get your results ranked and published.  I feel like this is an important first step for any school, and a valuable assessment tool.  It's always important to have a baseline for comparison when you have a goal for progress.  The STARS program offers schools this tool.

One question for Margaret Bounds:  How many people are involved in Sustainable Carolina?  And if I can get a follow up, then of those people how many are students?  I couldn't seem to find this information of the site, but would be interested to know the answers.

  

Blog #2

I was born April 6, 1984, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  All I can remember is green carpet, probably due to the fact that we moved away when I was three.  My family moved to Columbia, SC, where, as most who are reading this probably know, I currently attend USC to major in Environmental Science.  For the past 13 years, I've been working on cars, mostly Japanese imports.  I've owned 6 Honda's, and currently have two of them, an '89 CRX Si, my project car; and an '01 s2000.  I also race an '06 s2000 in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) South East division Solo Autocross.  Most people ask me why I don't work on cars for a living, and I tell them all the same thing.  I don't want to kill my personal passion for motor sports by making it my career, plain and simple.  I love animals, and have a cat, Aeris, and a dog, Keichi Linda Gomez. I would love to get job working for the National Park Service, or a field job in the USGS, really anything that can keep me outdoors.  I'd much rather come home sweaty and bug bitten than get carpal tunnel from sitting at a computer all day. And well, that's me in 200 words.  Be good.

Me in an '06 s2000 at Carolina Motorsports Park in Camden, SC

My serious face, at the SCCA SCR Banquet.

Blog #1

After coming to class for the first meeting, I must say the class is much different than what I had expected.  This was actually a nice surprise, as it seems to drift away from the standard lecture or even standard discussion oriented course format.  Really, I have no presuppositions about what I'm going to "get" out of the class.  I suppose I could say that hopefully in such a community oriented class, we all learn new ideas, and new ways to communicate those ideas to other people.  I'd say that a personal goal of mine is always to discover how to help people connect with nature.  To feel a part of the natural world, and not something separate.   I feel like we are at a point in human existence where we have more technical knowledge of the environment than any previous time, and yet at the same time, we (people as a whole)  feel more disconnected from the natural world now, than ever before.  I feel that if everyone felt more connected to the environment, this change in the collective consciousness would manifest itself in reality as positive changes in the way we treat the environment.  I'm really interested in the sections of the course pertaining to deep ecology, and ecofeminism.  I'm familiar with both topics, but would really enjoy hearing more.  I feel like I can really relate to the ideas of deep ecology, the more I learn about it, the more I'm amazed at it's similarities to my own personal beliefs.