Explain the concept of sustainability
It is the equallibrium between society, econonmy, culture and the environment. The mutual benefit to all parties involved in the interaction between these four well-beings. The focus of sustainability is to create behaviour which our world can cope and exist with.
Share your views on social equality, includng culture and religion
Social equality is something which mankind can aspire too however actually attaining it is not a reality, due to human nature there is always a hierachy within mankind. Social equality prevents the natural evolution. However i do think it is something which we should try to reach as with social equality a benchmark can be set on a level of quality of life which everyone should have access to. I still feel culture and religion are two major barriers to social equality, it creates divisions within society. I understand it is important to have culture and religion however it is undeniable that the influence of these two things prevent equality.
Share your views on the natural world
The natural world is something we have to protect and it is something we have to act on now. By studying this course i have seen just what our influences on the natural world cause. I am horrified by the reality of mankinds actions and seemingly callous destruction of it and its natural internal systems. If mankind does not change its behaviour the demise of the natural environment into an inhospitable place which cannot support life is ineviatable
What do you consider to be important for our world and species
I think the most important thing right now for our world and species exsistance is to find the balance between economy and environement as quick and effectively as possible. We have to live within our means, providing protection for the very thing that tolerates our species, while still having economic development as mankind. It is vital that we overcome the attitude of resisting change because it does not make short term economic sense, as a society we have to broaden our understanding and recognise initial loss does result in future gain, a gain which does not just encompass the economy but the four well-beings as well. I also think education is necessary, education is the only way we can change current behaviours. Through the retraining of adults to the intial education of young children, on a large scale society needs to learn about its responsibilities.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
25 steps towards sustainability
..yes another resource from the section, im having a sustainability overload to get me motiveated for our week of sustainability. this is a resource that requires reading grrr, but its actually interesting and simple, the layout with actual real people examples is good, its almost like a paper version of our movie we are making, like showing sustainable practice in action, it has given me some handy facts for carpooling day like the fuel usage of cars, and i am shocked and amazed about the recycling, imagine if everyone could generate that much rubbish it would be great!
climate change you tube clip
hey also from the same resources section is this, its a great simplified version of the outcomes of what we can choose to do at this very point in time as a society. i find the box method he uses really good at outlining the future in a very basic but clear way. it gives no question as to what choice mankind should do now, and it definately isnt to continue debating over what global warming is more to what we are doing and what is going to happen whether global warming exists or doesnt. although i found the guy a little cheesy towardthe end he actually makes sense.
another great resource, i am now thinking how i can adapt what he said in anyway into our current project
also linked to his other video clips he's a very convincing guy, he seems pretty onto it, i like how he keeps saying to us to actaully think about it not just take his word for it
another great resource, i am now thinking how i can adapt what he said in anyway into our current project
also linked to his other video clips he's a very convincing guy, he seems pretty onto it, i like how he keeps saying to us to actaully think about it not just take his word for it
Charles Moore Sailing the great Pacific Garbage patch
I just watched this presentation, its in the where to from here resources on the wiki. If youre finding this whole sustainability thing interesting definately give this a jam its so interesting. It is a guy talking about mainly plastics and recycling and just how much we are doing that is damaging to the environment with plastic, i found the section on plastic bottle lids particularly eye opening, the fact that bottles with their lids still on are found on opposite sides of the world from where they originate becuase of the type of plastic it is made from, one which is non recyclable alike its bottle and floats because its made up of a different compound, the graphics he shows are pretty blunt, the turtle with a plastic ring around it, something it has just "come to live with",and the death of all the albotross because they accidentaly eat things like bottle lids.
I hate how man created this back in the 60's with the disposable living idea, man mankind is dumb! we are completely interrupting and destroying the environment and our surroundings and we accept that everything else should "learn to live" with the outcomes of our actions, somethings definately gotta change. very interesting it also gave me some handy things i think to say in my diary cam now for the recycling and packaging days
I hate how man created this back in the 60's with the disposable living idea, man mankind is dumb! we are completely interrupting and destroying the environment and our surroundings and we accept that everything else should "learn to live" with the outcomes of our actions, somethings definately gotta change. very interesting it also gave me some handy things i think to say in my diary cam now for the recycling and packaging days
Monday, June 1, 2009
sustainability research facts about behaviour
Recycling
Conserving Resources
Every ton of paper recycled a year saves 17 trees and 7000 gallons of water.
Every ton of steel recycled saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone.
Recycling one ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil.
Reducing Pollution
According to the U.S. EPA, methane is the second largest source of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and landfills account for 37% of methane gas output. By reducing and recycling properly organic materials, including paper, we can divert them from landfill, thereby reducing anaerobic decomposition and the production of methane gas.
Energy Savings
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
The recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours.
For every pound of steel recycled, it can save enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for 24 hours.
Every ton of paper recycled can save up to 4200 kilowatt hours of energy.
Eating lower on the food chain
Eating local, vegetarian, and organic can reduce the ecological footprint of our diet by 90%.
A 2006 study found that children who switched to organics quickly stopped having detectable levels of pesticides in their urine.
Similarly, the number of farmer's markets in the US doubled between 1994 and 2004.
A Chicago study found that food in a supermarket traveled an average 1,500 miles to get to the store. By contrast, food at a local farmer's market travels an average of 73 miles.
Cows, pigs, and chickens produce 5 tons of manure per person in the USA per year.
As a consequence of the above, the EPA estimates agriculture is responsible for 70% of the water pollution in the U.S., much of it from concentrated animal feedlots .
Beef requires up to 70,000 liters of water per kilogram of beef produced. Chicken requres up to 6,000 L per kilo produced.
A person can reduce their CO2 emissions more by switching from a typical western diet to a vegan one than they could by switching their vehicle from a gas guzzler to a hybrid.
Animal protein requires ten times more energy and produces ten times more greenhouse gasses than plant protein.
Red meat requires the use of 6-20x as much land, and 5-25x as much water, and produces 5-17x the water pollution as an equivalent amount of plant protein.
If all people in the world ate like Americans, Earth could only support 2.5 Billion people. (There are now 6.5 B, projected to reach 9+ B by mid-century).
90% of antibiotics given to livestock are used to make them grow faster, not to treat infections.
>50% of all antibiotics in North America are fed to livestock, which leads to antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Present seafood trends will lead to the collapse of all commercial fisheries by 2048
gathered from (www.triplepundit.com/pages/great-ecostats-for-foodbased-green-busin.php )
Packaging
Growth of food and beverage packaging is approximately 3% annually
http://www.scionresearch.com/Portals/0/SCION_Packaging_Brochure.pdf, this pdf is about a crown research institue called scion, they are actively working to produce packageing products to support new zealands food industry for a "biobased economy", to provide viable economic and environmentaly friendly options for manufacturers and users. they focus on improving new forests and forestry science, bioproduct development, and sustainable design. some of the above bullet points talking about landfill waste emissions and recycling can ink with the importance of using less packaging
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Action Competence Model
Looking at the Action Competence model, i see there is a lot of different ways we can approach this module. I think given the time restraint, something along the lines of indirect action would be easier, and maybe suitable. I like the idea of having a "take it or leave it" option, but at the same time be allowed to share our ideas, having the teacher option would just give an alternative option for people who dont know what or where to go with this.
At this point in time i dont quite understand what we are actually going to "submit" I like the idea of having something written as evidence of a project for example a review or evaluation,and at the same time the evidence could be provided in the form of a demonstration or physical thing. I find the final page with the cyclic layout for approach with investigation, vision, action, change useful and this has given me branches of thought to possibly act on.
I think a group discussion class where we just all (including teacher aid) brainstorm and throw ideas for projects and activites, and then we go from there.
At this point in time i dont quite understand what we are actually going to "submit" I like the idea of having something written as evidence of a project for example a review or evaluation,and at the same time the evidence could be provided in the form of a demonstration or physical thing. I find the final page with the cyclic layout for approach with investigation, vision, action, change useful and this has given me branches of thought to possibly act on.
I think a group discussion class where we just all (including teacher aid) brainstorm and throw ideas for projects and activites, and then we go from there.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Personal Practices of Sustainability
To be perfectly honest i do very little to practice sustainability,
i took the quiz and found i'd need 1.6 planet earths to provdie enough resources, 3 global hectares, emit 5-8 tonnes of carbon, and 44% of my ecological footprint os food related.
I'm very bad sustainabiltity wise for instance i would drive my car the 4 blocks to tech instead of take an umbrella, or i sit with my electric heater on when im cold. The one thing i am very productive with is recycling, and smaller steps such as not accepting carrier bags, and using less rubbish bin bags. I also have paid the carbon offsetting voluntary payment twice through air new zealand since i was aware of it. But i am also aware there are a lot more things i could do, but currently use the narrow-minded approach of i'll live more sustainably when im older and settled and not in "student mode"
i took the quiz and found i'd need 1.6 planet earths to provdie enough resources, 3 global hectares, emit 5-8 tonnes of carbon, and 44% of my ecological footprint os food related.
I'm very bad sustainabiltity wise for instance i would drive my car the 4 blocks to tech instead of take an umbrella, or i sit with my electric heater on when im cold. The one thing i am very productive with is recycling, and smaller steps such as not accepting carrier bags, and using less rubbish bin bags. I also have paid the carbon offsetting voluntary payment twice through air new zealand since i was aware of it. But i am also aware there are a lot more things i could do, but currently use the narrow-minded approach of i'll live more sustainably when im older and settled and not in "student mode"
Monday, May 11, 2009
Story of Stuff response
What really hit home for you?
there was a lot that really hit home for me from the video, through the delivery the animation made a lot stand out. I love how the system is described as a linear system in a finite world, this obviously has to change to provide an indefinate amount of time for survival. The way we are told about our current use of resources and how a third of the planets natural resources and 80% of the original forests are GONE, lost we will never retrieve these fully was very powerful. I found the idea of the toxin we produce particually disturbing, the fact we use neurotoxins in everyday objects, or that breast milk was one of the food sources containig the most amount of toxins, i find it almost incomprehendable that we allow breastfeeding knowing we giving future generations such toxins. I also found the production of dioxin particularly interesting if its something so strong and so toxic and we produce and have the power to stop producing, why havn't we stopped yet? I think the most major thing i took from the video is the idea that as a global society we are consumers, we "value" ourselves based on how much we contribute to the consumer market, this is something so obvious but that i have not fully realised until now, you see it everywhere, i hate the idea that this is how mankind has come to "value" itself and its contribution to the world.
What do you question about the movie?
The movie really made me question the real motives of governments and corporations, i understand it is written with great bias to create this feeling within the viewer so you do have to almost throw this back to the producers of the video and see where such stigma toward the government and corporations has come from other than the extreme idea portrayed in the video. I also would like to question why the video does not touch on any of the positives to turning to consumption as a method to overcome the war, Victor le Beau obviously had such strong stance on why the world should become a nation of consumers, in a time when everywhere was in a state of recovery, reasons for this stance we are not told of.
What would you like to explore further?
The video has made me curious to learn how much overseas movement the US and other developed countries actually do, how much resources they use from developing countries and how much waste is disposed in these places, im interested to see how much countries such as the US hide the fact of what they are doing is damagaing by simply moving it just out of their own country boundaries or "out of sight" you could say. I would also be interested to look into the externalising of costs furthur, and see just how often this happens its obvious its on a very large scale but i would be interested to see the actual costs this hides. Finally i would like to look furthur into advertisement and the media, i don't understand why these powerful entities dont see what they're doing is damaging, in a money driven world its obvious but they still must be able to see the negative effects they are creating upon society.
there was a lot that really hit home for me from the video, through the delivery the animation made a lot stand out. I love how the system is described as a linear system in a finite world, this obviously has to change to provide an indefinate amount of time for survival. The way we are told about our current use of resources and how a third of the planets natural resources and 80% of the original forests are GONE, lost we will never retrieve these fully was very powerful. I found the idea of the toxin we produce particually disturbing, the fact we use neurotoxins in everyday objects, or that breast milk was one of the food sources containig the most amount of toxins, i find it almost incomprehendable that we allow breastfeeding knowing we giving future generations such toxins. I also found the production of dioxin particularly interesting if its something so strong and so toxic and we produce and have the power to stop producing, why havn't we stopped yet? I think the most major thing i took from the video is the idea that as a global society we are consumers, we "value" ourselves based on how much we contribute to the consumer market, this is something so obvious but that i have not fully realised until now, you see it everywhere, i hate the idea that this is how mankind has come to "value" itself and its contribution to the world.
What do you question about the movie?
The movie really made me question the real motives of governments and corporations, i understand it is written with great bias to create this feeling within the viewer so you do have to almost throw this back to the producers of the video and see where such stigma toward the government and corporations has come from other than the extreme idea portrayed in the video. I also would like to question why the video does not touch on any of the positives to turning to consumption as a method to overcome the war, Victor le Beau obviously had such strong stance on why the world should become a nation of consumers, in a time when everywhere was in a state of recovery, reasons for this stance we are not told of.
What would you like to explore further?
The video has made me curious to learn how much overseas movement the US and other developed countries actually do, how much resources they use from developing countries and how much waste is disposed in these places, im interested to see how much countries such as the US hide the fact of what they are doing is damagaing by simply moving it just out of their own country boundaries or "out of sight" you could say. I would also be interested to look into the externalising of costs furthur, and see just how often this happens its obvious its on a very large scale but i would be interested to see the actual costs this hides. Finally i would like to look furthur into advertisement and the media, i don't understand why these powerful entities dont see what they're doing is damaging, in a money driven world its obvious but they still must be able to see the negative effects they are creating upon society.
small reflection
What stands out for you?
The class when we were defining sustainability as a class, the group work which we then combined to create a whole group definition
Why did you choose this/these?
it was solo group work which was not lead and we still were succesful to create an adequte answer
How did you react or respond to the experience
I did not hold back with giving my opinion and ideas to the group i felt comfortable not holding back
What caused you to react this way
our class is small and i find it easy to talk in front of everyone, working in even smaller groups makes this even easier
What surprised you about your reaction
i wasnt really surprised im generally quite outspoken and do involve myself wherever i can
What did you learn from the experience
a general outline which i can easily comprehend to define sustainability
What have you discovered about your attitudes, prejudices, opinions on this subject?
I find this subject quite engaging, i like learning about how globally we need to change, and what sustainability actually means seeing as you hear it so much in society
What is holding you back from engaging in the learning?
I dont think i'm holding back especially not at the minute when we have very little class, i get bored and am not afraid of looking ahead through the wiki
What motivates you to learn?
personal involvement, actively being engaged and made to think not just spoon fed
The class when we were defining sustainability as a class, the group work which we then combined to create a whole group definition
Why did you choose this/these?
it was solo group work which was not lead and we still were succesful to create an adequte answer
How did you react or respond to the experience
I did not hold back with giving my opinion and ideas to the group i felt comfortable not holding back
What caused you to react this way
our class is small and i find it easy to talk in front of everyone, working in even smaller groups makes this even easier
What surprised you about your reaction
i wasnt really surprised im generally quite outspoken and do involve myself wherever i can
What did you learn from the experience
a general outline which i can easily comprehend to define sustainability
What have you discovered about your attitudes, prejudices, opinions on this subject?
I find this subject quite engaging, i like learning about how globally we need to change, and what sustainability actually means seeing as you hear it so much in society
What is holding you back from engaging in the learning?
I dont think i'm holding back especially not at the minute when we have very little class, i get bored and am not afraid of looking ahead through the wiki
What motivates you to learn?
personal involvement, actively being engaged and made to think not just spoon fed
Quotes response
Every day we are exposed to a barrage of information, advertisements, and stories in newspapers, on billboards and on television… information that tells us what is important in the world… advertisements that tell us about our priorities in life… and billboards that encourage us to want more. It may seem all too easy to just accept what we read and what we are told… But stop and think about what is really being said?… What are we really being sold?… What are the real messages?… Who is telling them and why are they telling them?… Who benefits from these messages?
Whats really being said is what someone, or a company who designed the billboard believes. It is their values being projected onto us. The real message is generally about change, change in lifestyle and demand. Generally billboards and advertisements are designed for the economic benefit of an organisation, and generally it is those oranizatioins that benefit with the positive or negative effect on us, society. Depending on what the information details.
Next, reflect on your own thoughts and perceptions… What assumptions are you making about the messages you read and hear?… How do your personal values influence these perceptions?… How has your family life, culture, gender or faith shaped the way you interpret these messages… the world?"
my own assumption or response to advertisement is not to take everything at face value, and not to just accept what i read or hear but to take it in and question it to my current beliefs or understanding. I was bought up to question things so this is the approach i have toward life in general.
There are always competing interests in debates about sustainability and it is important to build tolerance around different interests and perspectives. However, it is also important to keep questioning and scrutinising what it is that people and institutions are actually seeking to sustain.
I would say i agree with this quote everyone has a different opinion of what sustainability actually is, as we saw when we looked at definitions of sustainability. Depending on the motives of a person depends on how they see sustainability and what they are trying to sustain, hence it is important to keep questioning and scrutinising what insitiutions are seeking to sustain to ensure it remains constant.
Whats really being said is what someone, or a company who designed the billboard believes. It is their values being projected onto us. The real message is generally about change, change in lifestyle and demand. Generally billboards and advertisements are designed for the economic benefit of an organisation, and generally it is those oranizatioins that benefit with the positive or negative effect on us, society. Depending on what the information details.
Next, reflect on your own thoughts and perceptions… What assumptions are you making about the messages you read and hear?… How do your personal values influence these perceptions?… How has your family life, culture, gender or faith shaped the way you interpret these messages… the world?"
my own assumption or response to advertisement is not to take everything at face value, and not to just accept what i read or hear but to take it in and question it to my current beliefs or understanding. I was bought up to question things so this is the approach i have toward life in general.
There are always competing interests in debates about sustainability and it is important to build tolerance around different interests and perspectives. However, it is also important to keep questioning and scrutinising what it is that people and institutions are actually seeking to sustain.
I would say i agree with this quote everyone has a different opinion of what sustainability actually is, as we saw when we looked at definitions of sustainability. Depending on the motives of a person depends on how they see sustainability and what they are trying to sustain, hence it is important to keep questioning and scrutinising what insitiutions are seeking to sustain to ensure it remains constant.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
3-step reflective framework
Step 1 -Take notice and descirbe experience
The line agree/disagree activity, it was a physical activity getting everyone out of our seats and up.
Step 2 - Analyse the experience
It was an activity which could be seen as being quite personal but i think this was good for such a small group.
The agree/disagree statements were often answered instinctively i just went with my initial feeling of the statement.
Step 3 - What did you learn
It was thought provoking and gave me insight into everyone else's thoughts, i saw some common ground with people i didnt expect to.
The line agree/disagree activity, it was a physical activity getting everyone out of our seats and up.
Step 2 - Analyse the experience
It was an activity which could be seen as being quite personal but i think this was good for such a small group.
The agree/disagree statements were often answered instinctively i just went with my initial feeling of the statement.
Step 3 - What did you learn
It was thought provoking and gave me insight into everyone else's thoughts, i saw some common ground with people i didnt expect to.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Pre Course Questionnaire
Concept of Sustainability
To me i think the concept of sustainability is creating something which is self dependant. Its creating something which has a mutal understanding with its internal and external environment. Everything involved and effected benefits
Views on social equality, inc culture and religion
Social equality is something humanity is aiming to achieve however i think is somewhat unreachable due to the fact that there is always a hierachy, natural evolution creates human differences which are unavoidable. Religion plays a major dividing factor in social equality it creates barriers which some people cannot overcome. Culture has the same effect however is less of a barrier it is something which has come to be accepted over time in society.
The Natural World
The natural world is everything which exsists on the earth naturally it includes everything that was here before man and what remains at present after the interference of man. The natural world is always changing. In todays society the natural world is unfortuantely decreasing due to hundreds of years of negative interference e.g. the introduction of foreign species to environments. However with recent prevention causes and protection programmes being established we are starting to recreate this natural world
What is Important for our world and our species
I think possibly the most important thing for the world and the human race is the action of communication. Through serious lack of communication mankind has gone to war too many times and caused much unneeded death, i think this is one of the major factors to protect mankind. Another major factor would be protecting the world we live in, the very environment that accommodates our existence is something which we should hold of utmost importance, through the introduction of sustainability hopefully mankind can reverse some of the negative repercussions we are now experiencing from our previous actions.
To me i think the concept of sustainability is creating something which is self dependant. Its creating something which has a mutal understanding with its internal and external environment. Everything involved and effected benefits
Views on social equality, inc culture and religion
Social equality is something humanity is aiming to achieve however i think is somewhat unreachable due to the fact that there is always a hierachy, natural evolution creates human differences which are unavoidable. Religion plays a major dividing factor in social equality it creates barriers which some people cannot overcome. Culture has the same effect however is less of a barrier it is something which has come to be accepted over time in society.
The Natural World
The natural world is everything which exsists on the earth naturally it includes everything that was here before man and what remains at present after the interference of man. The natural world is always changing. In todays society the natural world is unfortuantely decreasing due to hundreds of years of negative interference e.g. the introduction of foreign species to environments. However with recent prevention causes and protection programmes being established we are starting to recreate this natural world
What is Important for our world and our species
I think possibly the most important thing for the world and the human race is the action of communication. Through serious lack of communication mankind has gone to war too many times and caused much unneeded death, i think this is one of the major factors to protect mankind. Another major factor would be protecting the world we live in, the very environment that accommodates our existence is something which we should hold of utmost importance, through the introduction of sustainability hopefully mankind can reverse some of the negative repercussions we are now experiencing from our previous actions.
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