For WorldChanging book group: enter your reading homework for the first three questions here (and enter the last response on your topic page).
| 3/2 | 3/9 | 3/16 | 3/23 | 3/30 |
| Foreword & Intros (p.11-26), Intro & selections from “Stuff” | More selections from “Stuff,” Intro & selections from “Shelter” | Intro & selections from “Cities” & “Community” | Intro & selections from “Business” & “Politics” | Intro & selections from “Planet” |
- Explain how one idea in the reading relates to other topics already covered in class or something you learned elsewhere (another class or life experience).
- List what you think are the three to five most important points made in the reading.
- Write a question to provoke discussion among others who read the same passage.
March 23, 2009 at 3:44 pm
1. The section on community touched upon eduction. This an a thing near and dear to me as I really think there is no way to change the world in the way that I want to change it unless everyone has access to a good education. It really had some good ideas and good to places to begin.
2. My favorite section was about Finland’s School system. It sounded sound good. They also spend the most in the world on education, which I just thought was fantastic. They really have there own model for education with emphasis on education for everyone being the same as opposed to giving one group of students a superior education over others. They have the highest rate of literacy as well. Oddly though they don’t start till age 7 and spend less time in school and more time with family.
Another thing I thought was great was these vans that go around Africa with internet, computers, and printers and they print out E books and give the to people.
The third topic the chapter brought up that really stuck me was how as the world changes, as does the languages used all over the world. Currently english is the language of the big business world but that is shifting soon mandarin chinese will become the most spoken and english will tie for 2nd with many other languages. But it said most likely people will become more bilingual as well.
3. Do you speak more than one language or do you plan on learning another one in the future?
March 16, 2009 at 4:40 pm
1. The major topic I read about was greening urban areas. I really enjoyed it because it brought up some things I hadn’t thought of so much. But it also brought up some points I have thought about. It said we have finally reached a point where the majority of people live in cities so that’s really where we need to start. Although I was a little surprised that cities are greener the rural areas because of the density which creates efficiency. One interesting idea I have heard about in the past that relates to all this is the simple idea of painting more surfaces white in the city. More white surfaces means more reflectivity, which we need with the icecaps melting right now. A simple step like that can really add up and make a huge difference. The sad part about it tho is that its not actually cutting down on emmisions or anything which is what really needs to be done, but its more like buying us time while we come up with ways to cut emissions. One point that really struck me and I have been tossing predicament in my head as well is that for those of us who want to live close to nature are the ones most in danger of destroying it, most immediately anyway. So what I am constantly thinking about is how to balance quality of life and being environmentally friendly and still live in or near nature.
2. Some main points made in the book is this idea of greening cities and because of the density they have the possibility of being far more efficient than anything in rural areas. It then goes on to bring up sprawl and how environmentally detrimental it is. Not to mention how people living in the suburbs get advantages from living near city, and the people living in the city pay for those advantages as well as pay the price on their own health for living in the city. Unfair to say the least.
I also read about the dutch made some suburban streets places for people and cars to be in the same area. They pretty much did away with sidewalks, the lines on the road, added trees and planters, and made the road a place for people and slow moving traffic to share. The thinking behind it is, knowing that people are always in the area and that its broken up by planters, cars are forced to slow down a move slowly thru the area. They call it a woonerf street, which translates to street for living.
Another topic I read about, but have heard about before, was Mycoremediation. Which is basically using mushrooms to clean up soils and the environment. Bassically mushrooms that eat fossil fuels and not only that but are edible after they do it. Its as close to magic as you can get.
3. Question: Do you think we should stop urban sprawl completely? Do you think its possible?
March 16, 2009 at 12:33 am
1. when i was younger, my father remodeled his house and purchased a kitchenette very similar to the one in the book on page 153 (shelter) which is basically compact in size and is convertible. you can change the size of any shelve or cubby into the proper size to fit your needs. i really liked that this is featured in a ‘green’ book on how to save space, time, and money in your ’shelter’ of choice.
2. in the community intro i like the talk about how in every first world country there is a third world-like part within it and in every third world country there is a first world-like part with in it as well. the millennium development goals set out by the UN talk about how and what we need to do to take care of every person on the planet. these goals haven’t exactly been set into play yet, necessarily but the fact that we have something to compare our progress to at all is a major step in the right direction. i also liked how they talked about the albedo of buildings in new york and how if we painted buildings a lighter color and made streets a lighter color of concrete, it would emit less heat into the atmosphere (heat island effect) and therefore reduce the temperature of cities and be better for air quality, energy consumption, and the health of its inhabitants (p. 258)
if new york lowered its temp. by only 3 degrees (by lowering the albedo) it would be equal to saving the environment from all the cities gas powered buses and service trucks. its insane what little things like that ca do.
3. what was the thing that struck you the most in the cities or communities part of the book?
March 9, 2009 at 5:46 pm
In response to Shelter:
1. I find value of thinking of our homes as tools for living. I think this concepts provides us with that pragmatic/inspirational outlook to change at the individual level. Taking it from that perspective I think we can better understand not only the ecological value that an energy efficient home brings us and the world, but to re-evaluate our emotional connection to it. Overall, this chapter made me think about the lack of emotional connection that we have to things/peoples and issues that are beyond our boundaries, both physically and conceptually. Among many issues affecting us, we are about to face a massive environmental displacement in the coming years affecting mostly poor countries and there’s discussion about technological solutions to deal with it, to contain it, yet, there’s not a moral discussion in how to deal with this imminent disaster.
3. MY QUESTION:
As we exhaust our resources and countries and communities have less to share it is evident that “Global South” will take a larger toll in terms of consequences. Given that the “Global North” is perhaps more at fault for this, given histories of oppression, what obligations do we have to the developing world? Do we just let them take the hit and worry about us?
2. Main points
1. Importance of creating a symbiotic relationship with nature when thinking about our homes. It is possible for them, instead of expending more energy than cars, for instance, to actually produce an output of energy to satisfy our demands.
2. Given our current economic model, there are tipping points that could be reached availing the development of green products (including housing)as industry standards.
3.Current development is not only poor in design and heavy in energy consumption, but it also displaces values for community well being (no parks, no neighborhood feeling, no goods within walking distance, lack of natural light, etc). Green development is healthier alternative in more holistic way.