What surprised you about the process of EnvironmentalPolicy? Do you think that the U.S. Senate should have ratified the Kyoto Protocol?Why or why not. Why do you think creatal policyis so difficult locally, nationally, and internationally? Should communities andlocal government do more on a local level to create environmental policy? Whatenvironmental issues would you like to see addressed by policy makers?
It always surprises me how much environmental policy we actually lack at the government level. I'm equally surprised at how difficult it is to pass new legislation that could help protect the environment. I don't believe I know enough of the facts on the Kyoto protocol to actually make an educated decision about whether or not the US should have signed on. I do know that whether we sign it or not, we do need some legislation put in place to protect the earth from the utter destruction we cause on a daily basis, mostly in the name of money. I also think that acting on the local level may be more effective for this movement. Once many local areas have laws and regulations they will form a network of concerted efforts which surely will make a difference. Additionally, I am a strong believer in education and personal action. We all contribute to the problem, its time for us to realize this and become educated on how we can personally contribute to the protection of our planet.
What do you think of ecofeminism before you read, and after? Did you have any strong reactions? What forms of dominance do you see in the world around you?
Before I read the articles, I was under the impression that ecofeminism was concerned with associating the oppression of women with the oppression of the environment. I had heard a little about it in a 'Human Impact on the Environment' course, and was familiar with it's association of male dominance and environmental destruction, but the topic was only briefly introduced, so after reading the articles I can see how the ecofeminist view fits into real issues like monoculture farming practices.
I liked the Huffington Post article with Vandana Shiva. I've actually seen her before in a documentary called 'Dirt'. I thought it was really cool she decided to leave the academic world because they were only concerned with helping the large farming conglomerates. The fact that she would stand up for what she believed in and start a business that would assist small farmers is incredibly admirable.
From the second article I found the section on patriarchal dualism to be of particular interest. I can see that by diametrically opposing two concepts it can lead toward the tendency of viewing one a superior and one as inferior. I think the concept of the yin yang and it's symbol is some ancient knowledge that purveys the same message. The yin yang is not to be viewed merely as a static symbol where white and black are divided, but it represents a motion, a swirling vortex where yin and yang are interconnected and one. When the yin yang spins fast enough it would simply appear as a grey circle to the human eye. White and black (yin and yang) no longer separate, no longer distinguishable from one another.
