In class we calculated our carbon footprint. If I lived closer to where I go to school and work, then my carbon footprint would be a lot lower because I could walk or ride a bike to at least these places. If I lived in a more urban area I would also have more access to public transpiration. Basically, I think that I need to move back to Philly and live and work there. If I lived in a city I would also have more access to locally grown food and secondhand garments and appliances. Surburban detached single family dwellings with their huge lawns and central air conditioning systems that are populated by commuters would seem to me to have the highest carbon footprints.
Why do we care about the size of our carbon footprint? Because it directly hastens global warming with will cause climate change that even developed nations are not prepared for. This climate change will not affect our generation that much probably, but does anyone care about the fates of our descendants? We'll be dead, so we will care nothing of if our descendants curse us for leaving them all of these problems, when we knew exactly what we were doing. Is our species doomed to make messes and unsuccessfully try to clean them up, or will we learn to think in the truly long-term, for the good of the species rather than the individual.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Learning about Ecology
There are many types of ways that humans can gain ecological knowledge.
There are two types of community learning: virtual and physical. Virtual would be through the Internet, and physical would be community environmental groups. Both of these learning types provide a gathering place for for diverse people to meet. They provide a nurturing place for learning and developing knowledge. They are usually informal and unstructured. And they provide social contact which fosters a sense of trust.
The news is another way that people can learn ecological knowledge. Of course, what you learn depends on what information your country allows access to. And in countries with informational freedom, what you learn depends of what kinds of new that you like.
Urban gardening can teach people about their local ecology and about farming and producing some of their own food. This can foster self-reliance amongst city-dwellers.
For the relatively rich - education, ecotours, and vacations can provide excellent knowledge about ecosystems other than the ones people live in.
People can also learn about ecology in parks and zoos that are open to the public. They allow you to see, smell, touch, and taste the ecosystem. Again, however, a certain amount of wealth is necessary to have time and money to visit these places.
Disasters are a very effective way for people to learn about ecology. Who knew what caused a tsunami was before Christmas 2006? Floods, droughts, hurricanes, and the like will force people to wonder what happened to their homes and property, and therefore gain a desire to learn what ecological phenomenon caused it.
For youthful Americans, a good way to begin learning about ecology would be to join the boy-or girl-scouts or the YMCA.
Sometimes learning about something else can help someone learn something ecological because, really if you think about it, knowledge is INTERTWINED.
Finally, I feel that there are several different spaces for informal learning about ecology:
- a space for masters and apprentices to connect
- self-expression (blogging, journaling)
- debate and dialogue
- archived knowledge (websites)
- structural (courses & tutorials)
There are two types of community learning: virtual and physical. Virtual would be through the Internet, and physical would be community environmental groups. Both of these learning types provide a gathering place for for diverse people to meet. They provide a nurturing place for learning and developing knowledge. They are usually informal and unstructured. And they provide social contact which fosters a sense of trust.
The news is another way that people can learn ecological knowledge. Of course, what you learn depends on what information your country allows access to. And in countries with informational freedom, what you learn depends of what kinds of new that you like.
Urban gardening can teach people about their local ecology and about farming and producing some of their own food. This can foster self-reliance amongst city-dwellers.
For the relatively rich - education, ecotours, and vacations can provide excellent knowledge about ecosystems other than the ones people live in.
People can also learn about ecology in parks and zoos that are open to the public. They allow you to see, smell, touch, and taste the ecosystem. Again, however, a certain amount of wealth is necessary to have time and money to visit these places.
Disasters are a very effective way for people to learn about ecology. Who knew what caused a tsunami was before Christmas 2006? Floods, droughts, hurricanes, and the like will force people to wonder what happened to their homes and property, and therefore gain a desire to learn what ecological phenomenon caused it.
For youthful Americans, a good way to begin learning about ecology would be to join the boy-or girl-scouts or the YMCA.
Sometimes learning about something else can help someone learn something ecological because, really if you think about it, knowledge is INTERTWINED.
Finally, I feel that there are several different spaces for informal learning about ecology:
- a space for masters and apprentices to connect
- self-expression (blogging, journaling)
- debate and dialogue
- archived knowledge (websites)
- structural (courses & tutorials)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Environmentality and Resource Conservation
I'm an environmentalist with a viewpoint that is based on the need for conservation and sustainability. One of my greatest hopes (too bad I won't live to see it) is that humanity can continue surviving for may more thousand of years. I don't know why I care about the fate of humankind after I am dead, but I think that it has something to do with something innate deep in my genetic make-up; DNA's own "desire" for survival. Why else would DNA exist except to reproduce itself and provide a way for organisms to adapt to their environment? Human beings are such unique animals in that they have the ability to consciously evolve. Our large, problem-solving brains give us this capacity. We discovered evolution and have become adept at describing its laws. We know about sustainability and how it can preserve not only our lives but those of our descendants and all of humankind. We have also become actually pretty capable at understanding how our economic systems work. One of the roles of government, therefore should be to try to find a way to use our knowledge evolution and ecology to make sustainability economically beneficial. The current corporate culture of greed has made the conditions for people at the bottom of the economic scale unlivable.
Environmentality, or as I think of it, ecogovernmetality, can be described as the way in which environmental regulations apply to sustainable ecological practices. Sustainable policy discussions are so important when developing new technologies. I think that it is logical to consider future generations when government decisions are made. How will these laws benefit our children, our children's children and so on? Or how will new eco-laws harm our descendants?
Environmentality, or as I think of it, ecogovernmetality, can be described as the way in which environmental regulations apply to sustainable ecological practices. Sustainable policy discussions are so important when developing new technologies. I think that it is logical to consider future generations when government decisions are made. How will these laws benefit our children, our children's children and so on? Or how will new eco-laws harm our descendants?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is always evolving. This is because of the human traits of curiosity, adaptability, and inventiveness. TEK develops because someone figures out how to do something that they need to do and then tells his or her tribe about it. This way is adopted as TEK, but if a better way to do that thing is figured out, usually the people will do it the new way. Human beings are adaptable animals that constantly invent new ways to do things. Our brains are capable of what seems like unlimited inventiveness.
Another reason that TEK is always evolving is that the environment is evolving and TEK can be described as problem-solving the environment. If the environment changes, then knowledge about that environment and how to survive in it changes as well.
A question then comes to mind: if traditional ecological knowledge is always evolving, then is it still traditional? I think so. I think that in this context, the word traditional describes knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation locally as a tradition, in contrast with knowledge learned from formal education. This knowledge is bound to change as groups of people become exposed to other groups of people, as new ideas and tools are invented, and as the environment changes.
Sustainability is a hallmark of TEK. For ecological knowledge to be useful and successful enough to be passed down from generation to generation, it must not use up the resources of the land. Once a resource is gone, the knowledge about how to exploit that resource is unnecessary, and therefore is not passed on to the next generation.
Many agree that the concept of sustainability will play a key role in the survival of our species. If we can learn to live by the concept of sustainability, then possibly we can stop or slow the mass extinction going on right now. If we do that we will be safer because the more diversity our environment has, the more stable it is, and the less chance we will have of an environmental catastrophe.
Because the survival of the human race might depend on whether we can practice sustainability, which is a hallmark of TEK; TEK is important for our survival. TEK will always be evolving, and it is necessary to keep us on the right track. TEK is necessary because it is an evolved knowledge of the local ecology. It is knowledge that focuses on the needs of people rather than their wants. It is knowledge that has evolved so as not to contain any non-necessities or outdated information. TEK is part of human evolution and when we lose it we stop evolving. And a species that cannot evolve cannot survive for long.
Another reason that TEK is always evolving is that the environment is evolving and TEK can be described as problem-solving the environment. If the environment changes, then knowledge about that environment and how to survive in it changes as well.
A question then comes to mind: if traditional ecological knowledge is always evolving, then is it still traditional? I think so. I think that in this context, the word traditional describes knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation locally as a tradition, in contrast with knowledge learned from formal education. This knowledge is bound to change as groups of people become exposed to other groups of people, as new ideas and tools are invented, and as the environment changes.
Sustainability is a hallmark of TEK. For ecological knowledge to be useful and successful enough to be passed down from generation to generation, it must not use up the resources of the land. Once a resource is gone, the knowledge about how to exploit that resource is unnecessary, and therefore is not passed on to the next generation.
Many agree that the concept of sustainability will play a key role in the survival of our species. If we can learn to live by the concept of sustainability, then possibly we can stop or slow the mass extinction going on right now. If we do that we will be safer because the more diversity our environment has, the more stable it is, and the less chance we will have of an environmental catastrophe.
Because the survival of the human race might depend on whether we can practice sustainability, which is a hallmark of TEK; TEK is important for our survival. TEK will always be evolving, and it is necessary to keep us on the right track. TEK is necessary because it is an evolved knowledge of the local ecology. It is knowledge that focuses on the needs of people rather than their wants. It is knowledge that has evolved so as not to contain any non-necessities or outdated information. TEK is part of human evolution and when we lose it we stop evolving. And a species that cannot evolve cannot survive for long.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
How Culture influences Ecology
Politics:
Ecological policy is made by people in power depending on who their friends are because those are the people that they trust. These trusted friends are usually wealthy campaign supporters with an agenda of their own. Environmental laws too often overlook the economic benefit that a clean ecosystem gives everyone by way of performing free environmental services such as flood control, clean drinking water, decomposition of wastes, climate regulation, and carbon sequestration. If we, as a society, had to pay for these services because the environment was too degraded to do it, we couldn't afford it.
Religion:
Religion has a powerful say in ecological issues.
Christianity says that God created us in his image and that humankind has dominion over the Earth and all of its other forms of life. This belief allows people to degrade ecosystems because we have the right to, and it allows us to not take into consideration the possibility that humans may be subject to the same laws of ecology and natural selection that the rest of the Earth's species are.
Hinduism is a religion that has a positive respect for nature. In Hinduism, man lives in harmony with nature and believes that all forms of life are sacred. The principle of balance, or dharma, when applied to the science of ecology seems to fit with scientific terms like equilibrium.
Native American religions seemed to also worship nature, while not having a concept of land ownership.
Education:
How do scientists communicate with the general public? They don't, for the most part. Does the public care about ecology? Sometimes, if they have incentive. Do scientists and educators see eye to eye? Not always, look at the evolution vs. creation debate.
Media:
The media has a big role in how we look at climate change and what we do about it. It can make people doubt that climate change is even happening and distract them the role that their own consumption plays in it.
Ecological policy is made by people in power depending on who their friends are because those are the people that they trust. These trusted friends are usually wealthy campaign supporters with an agenda of their own. Environmental laws too often overlook the economic benefit that a clean ecosystem gives everyone by way of performing free environmental services such as flood control, clean drinking water, decomposition of wastes, climate regulation, and carbon sequestration. If we, as a society, had to pay for these services because the environment was too degraded to do it, we couldn't afford it.
Religion:
Religion has a powerful say in ecological issues.
Christianity says that God created us in his image and that humankind has dominion over the Earth and all of its other forms of life. This belief allows people to degrade ecosystems because we have the right to, and it allows us to not take into consideration the possibility that humans may be subject to the same laws of ecology and natural selection that the rest of the Earth's species are.
Hinduism is a religion that has a positive respect for nature. In Hinduism, man lives in harmony with nature and believes that all forms of life are sacred. The principle of balance, or dharma, when applied to the science of ecology seems to fit with scientific terms like equilibrium.
Native American religions seemed to also worship nature, while not having a concept of land ownership.
Education:
How do scientists communicate with the general public? They don't, for the most part. Does the public care about ecology? Sometimes, if they have incentive. Do scientists and educators see eye to eye? Not always, look at the evolution vs. creation debate.
Media:
The media has a big role in how we look at climate change and what we do about it. It can make people doubt that climate change is even happening and distract them the role that their own consumption plays in it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
the science of ecology and the Gaia hypothesis
Ecology is the science that studies organisms and their relationships with each other and the environment. Ecology is a very broad science that encompasses a lot of topics because the Earth has a lot of species and a lot of environments, and is considered by some (Lovelock, James 2007) to be one big interconnected ecosystem, rather than many isolated ones. Some even consider the Earth to be a single organism made up of many interconnect parts, that tries to maintain homeostasis. I'm fond of this theory, called the Gaia hypothesis, because I believe that ecosystems are always connected to and affected by other ecosystems. The evidence for the theory that the Earth is one single organism stems from three pieces of evidence for the fact that the Earth somehow maintains homeostasis: by keeping atmospheric content, ocean salinity, and global temperatures relatively constant despite changing inputs. One of the reasons that I think this theory has merit is that homeostasis seems to be a common theme to both organisms and natural environments, so why not the whole Earth? Feedback responses (both positive and negative) are observed to be activated in organisms and natural environments when conditions vary too much from the set point of a particular parameter. I also likes this theory because it expands on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by adding the idea of the evolution of natural environments. In other words, the Earth, as a single organism maintaining homeostasis around set points that can change with time, selects for environments which help it to do that, and these environments select for the species that occupy them.
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