Blog #14--Environmental Policy

     Environmental policy seems to be the answer to the question of: "The environment is messed up but what can we do?" The process of environmental policy seemed pretty straightforward to me, but the only problem with it is the super-long timeframe of passing legislation. The environment is hurting now, but until legislation gets passed, which could be a long and arduous process, nothing can be done.
     I believe the U.S. should have ratified the Kyoto Protocol because the reason we pulled out is because of the selfish interests of polluting big businesses not wanting to possible take a financial hit. It is because of them that we have so much pollution in this country. They are also why passing legislation on the environment is so difficult and time consuming. So many people are going to have varied interests, and nobody wants to be worse off financially. It is so hard to create legislation on a national scale with so many varied interests, which is why local policies should be implemented because they can directly deal with a problem that pertains to the local community rather than deal with a national piece of legislation.
     I would like to see negative incentive to enforce the carbon dioxide cap. Right now, lawmakers are speaking of financial rewards and incentives for going green. Going green should be THE only way to go so they shouldn't be rewarded. Businesses should be fined for how much carbon dioxide they pollute. Getting hurt financially is good incentive for businesses to switch to green practices, not getting helped financially for not polluting. In a realistic world, no business would decide to turn green just because. Companies need to be galvanized to do what is good for the environment.

Blog #13--Ecofeminism

     Before I read the articles, I had a certain view of ecofeminism because I have heard about it before. I thought the basis of it was that we as a society were treating the planet as we treat women as a whole: subjugating and enforcing our will on it. After reading the articles, I realized my original idea was on the right path, but not totally correct. Ecofeminism deals with the idea that women have a greater sense in the area of saving the planet because women are inherently closer to nature than are men. I did have sort of a strong reaction to that because I believe they are making a strong generalization. I know that nature is referred to as a mother, but I feel that there are many guys out there who are more inclined to the needs of nature than some women. I feel that many guys do not care about the environment, but I personally care more than some women do.
     The biggest form of dominance I see today is the dominance humans have over the planet and its resources. As a whole, we are not thinking of preserving the planet, we are thinking about preserving our profit. This really bothers me how we have an all-take and no-give mentality. Humans in general need to be more in-tune with nature.

Blog #12--Green Democracy

     The principles of Green Democracy and Green Democracy are very interesting in the fact that it is a growing party in this country, not just a set of ideals that might never catch on. I could not say if I for sure would or would not join the Green Party just because there are many aspects of it that I agree with and many aspects of it I disagree with. The Green Party looks to give the power in this country back to the people as the U.S. Constitution states, claiming that currently the power is in a select few who are not willing to give it up. It also wants a larger sense of community to account for everyone's voice being heard. This is hard to agree with because it is currently not very feasible to go to community-style government and action. One aspect of it that I do agree with is that the airwaves should be open to the public if they have the money instead of big businesses' ads only. Not being able to put out on ad on radio or t.v. violates the First Amendment, which is what this country is based on.
     One extreme group of Green Democrats are the EarthFirst people. They go to extreme lengths to help save the planet, such as dismantling bulldozers and sabotaging equipment. The article on them is favoring their stance, but what they are doing is illegal no matter how one looks at it. It might be good for the environment, but unfortunately that does not make what they are doing legal.

Blog #11--Spiritual Ecology

   Spiritual ecology was a topic that at least to me didn't really seem like ecology at all. It seemed like a sort of religion that was based on the conservation of the environment. I was born and raised Catholic, but that does not give me the view on spiritual ecology I have. I did not really think that Catholicism had a take on the preservation of the environment, but I read the message by the Pope sent out a few years ago. He said that as Christians we are obligated to respect and preserve creation: in essence protect the planet from pollution and global warming. This surprised me that the head of the Church issued a religious stance about sustainability.
   The Gaia hypothesis was basically saying that the planet was a living thing and could adapt on its own. I was intrigued by the evidence brought to the table to try and defend it. I just don't think that it is the case though. If the planet could regulate itself, it would have stopped warming at such an alarming rate some time ago. Also, if we all put all of our eggs in the basket of Gaia regulating herself, we might cause this planet some serious problems by neglect.
   With regard to hyper-masculine culture, I do believe that we live in a male-dominated society. Women can work the same jobs as men but be paid less. Less than a hundred years ago women were not even allowed to vote. With the way I see it, everyone being born today is instilled with the male-dominated culture around them which is why it continues. I feel that changes are slowly being made, but total equality may be a bit far off.

Blog #10--Social Ecology

   Social ecology is a form of rational thinking and partially political outlook that focuses on conservation of not only the environment but society as a whole. Social ecologists reject the traditional view that industry and having more is "progress" and sees them more as a hindrance to the overall outlook of how we as humans should see the world. According to the ideals of social ecology, social hierarchy is the basis of all problems. In my opinion, avoiding social hierarchy is next to impossible because it is in human nature to organize themselves. Imagining a world where everyone sees everyone else as equals is very hard to imagine.
   I view most other aspects of social ecology as ones similar to my own. I do think and know that industry is killing our planet, and it is very backward to think that exploitation of land and resources for quick profit is how one needs be successful in this world. I do agree that humans should view themselves as a part of nature and not the ruler of it. Although social ecology does have some very down to earth views that would be great to instill in the younger generation, many aspects of it are simply not compatible with the way the world is now.

Blog #9--Deep Ecology

   My overall view on deep ecology is a little shaky at best. From the things I've read, it seem that the concepts of deep ecology are just like the concepts of green learning communities mixed in with green politcs. The only thing that stands out for me is the inclusion and high importance of the concept of "self-understanding" in deep ecology. According to the philosophy, one cannot understand anyone else or even be very successful if they do not understand themselves first. It seems as if the self is just as important as the environment.
   Deep Ecology does not relate too much to me in most regards, but I do sort of agree/understand the concept of quality of life over quantity. The quality of life for many people in third world countries is falling drastically as the world's population increases. Many of the other aspects are completely unfeasible, such as eliminating social class and centralized government. My only concerns with deep ecology is that it can only be a philosophy for one's self, or at most a small group or village. Scale in following this philosophy is very important, as a country of large size would not be able to live how deep ecology says.

Blog #8--Consensus

   The idea of consensus was a seemingly straightforward topic, but so much detail and analysis is involved with the whole concept of consensus decision making, which greatly surprised me. The assigned articles really give a good feel for the concept, but they portray it in a very positive, almost biased way it seems.
   A few preconditions exist which help consensus work more smoothly. The main thing is that everybody in the process in on the same level and will let their voice be heard. These are how the decisions are made. Instead of the standard, vote yes or no for one thing and majority rules, in consensus decision making, decisions are kind of sculpted from everybody's opinions and potential conflicts. The decisions are manipulated until it becomes something everyone can collectively agree on. A few other conditions for the process are cooperation, nonviolence, and patience among others.
   This process has both strengths and weaknesses. Some of the main strengths are equality and true democracy. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and everyone's opinion collectively molds the final decision. In essence this is true democracy because the group is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The biggest and only inherent weakness is that this decision making can only be made in small communities. In no way could this ever be the process of a large country, because hearing the opinion of millions is just too impractical. This can only be used for small living and learning communities.
  

Blog #7--Culture Jamming

    All of the readings about culture jamming I found very entertaining and enjoyable. I did not realize that a group existed out there whose sole purpose was to create ads that go against the ideology of ads in general. Culture jamming is providing some way, in this case ads, to allow the public to briefly snap out of this modern world of advertising and be able to see clearly without the shroud of consumerism. Culture jamming nowadays has a few forms of communication. The most prevalent are billboards, television ads, and especially in this age memes.
    Culture jamming is a good tool for activism, because the ones who are doing the jamming have the backup of the First Amendment on their side. The ones who are culture jamming believe that they have the right to use the airways if they have money. The television stations, however have become a big obstacle for them. Culture jamming itself is an effective way to get a point across because rather than lecture, it takes a well known and familiar ad concept and sort of puts a real-world spin on it. A good example would be of the classic "Joe Camel" from Camel brand cigarettes. A culture jamming spin was taken and featured a bedridden camel in hospital gown hooked up to an IV and dubbed "Joe Chemo."
    Until media outlets will be willing or forced to allow these ads to be aired more often, Americans unfortunately might be further embedded in a consumerist lifestyle.

Blog #6--GTP Reading

     My group's Group Teaching Project (GTP) is centered on the concept of Green Democracy. The readings on Green Democracy were very interesting. One one of the main links, a web site about the U.S. Green Party, had a tab about its platform and its stance on policies, which had some different views than the other two main political parties. The overall stance on the Green Party is giving the people more say in their government. They truly believe in a government of the people, by the people and for the people. They distrust powerful government because they believe that the spoils system and buying elections is the downfall of this country's "democracy."
    Another link was to an article about the Earth First! movement. The article was defending the Earth First! people because they were essentially non-violently protesting against environmental harm. Some may call it vandalism, but they are adamant that their actions are perfectly fine.
    The last article was on Environmental Racism. Essentially, low paying jobs in developing countries are very dangerous to their workers because very little environmental control and worker protection exists. Green Democracy is worked into this topic because one if its goals is to end this unfair lack of worker protection.
    When my group presents this topic, one of the tactics I was thinking we could at least start off with is basically discussing what people agree and disagree with about the concepts of Green Democracy. I feel like stating the concepts in a black-and-white fashion will allow others to freely give their honest opinions about this topic.

Blog #5-- An Ideal Green Learning Community

The readings and my overall experience in a Green Learning Community here have given me a pretty good idea of what a "green" learning community is supposed to be like. The first characteristic that sets it apart from everything is the emphasis on "green" values such as sustainability and recycling. An understanding of the values is also key; the members should not just go through the motions but should understand and appreciate why "green" thinking is good. The next important characteristic is equality of voice. In the central community, ideally everyone is at the same level as everyone else. The reason that these communities work so well together is because there is no central authority to try and resist; everybody is essentially the same in each other's eyes. The last characteristic is that everyone has an opinion. This does not seem like much, but apathy is the #1 killer of successful groups. Apathy wastes time and effort. If everyone has an opinion and voices it freely, potential problems and misunderstandings can be worked out easily and thus provide the most effective possible group. A successful community has these characteristics, and a Green Learning Community has all of these but includes "green" thinking, with emphasis on thinking globally and acting locally.

Blog #4 "Green Values"

      Green Values as a whole seemed very interesting to say the least. Some I could understand and would like to follow, and others just seemed a little too "out there." One that I agreed with was the one which claimed that humans were not dominant over nature but rather part of it along with everything else on the planet. So often does one see the human race as a whole live in the moment and live to exploit time, money, and resources just for a profit in the foreseeable future. Humans are supposed to be more in-tune with nature, giving back as much as they take. This unfortunately has never been the case. Another value I agreed with was "think globally, act locally." I thought that was especially true, because one always needs to be conscious of global impact, and do to something about it, acting locally should be the first step. Many times, businesses and corporations act for profit in the "here and now" rather than thinking of impacts hundreds of years in the future like the Green Values call for.
      One Green Value I did not agree with was the statement that humans have never meant to be in hierarchy because that is against their nature. In no way have I personally seen this to be the case. Always money and power create a hierarchy in human society: always have and always will. Green Values would ideally have all people equal and share their resources equally, which sounds almost communistic. This sort of surprised me the most about the readings because some of them like this one were just out of the question and seemingly impossible to apply to human society.

Blog #3

    Both the AASHE and Sustainable Carolina seem like great initiatives in the move towards total sustainability. On the AASHE, one of the biggest and in my opinion the greatest initiatives is their program called the Sustainability Tracking and Rating System, or STARS. This initiative gives other universities a measuring stick of sorts for their sustainable practices. This is beneficial because not only does it motivate universities to obtain high STARS ratings just for the rating, but they can also be motivated by seeing the ratings of other schools and comparing.
    On the Sustainable Carolina website, the program that I find most interesting is the recycling team. I find this interesting because I've always cared about recycling and I've noticed how Columbia has painfully few recycling receptacles. I would want to join to change that. Near my hometown, Downtown Greenville has many recycling receptacles scattered throughout the city, which is more than can be said for Downtown Columbia, which is sad because the state capital should be the city with the most sustainable initiative. Also, I would like to help attain a recycling center or program for the Greek Village, which is unfortunately not as sustainable as I believe it should be.
   One question I would have for Margaret regarding Sustainable Carolina is, "What do you think is the best way to motivate people in general to be sustainable?"

Blog #2 A short biography

Hello! My name is Cameron, I am a sophomore Environmental Science major from Easley, SC. I was born in Greenville, and raised in a small town called Easley, which is halfway between Clemson and Greenville. I have always had an interest in science, as well as a great passion for doing my part to save the planet. In addition to science, music has always been a big part of my life. I started playing the cello in third grade, followed by guitar and bass. I have performed in Carnegie Hall with my cello, I have played bass in my high school jazz band as well as in the school musicals, and I still have an acoustic guitar in my dorm room that I play and sing with regularly.

In regard to my academic interests, I enjoy music, but more as a hobby. I really am passionate about the science of our planet, but at this point I am not quite sure what I want to do. I have contemplated going into the Peace Corps after I graduate, and then possibly go to graduate school when I come back, but at this point I can't say for sure. I'll just have to wait and see!

Blog #1 - What do I want to get out of this course?

I would like to get many things out of this course, but most of all I would like to get an understanding of what "Green Politics" actually is. I have a few preconceived notions, but I would like to see how green values and and green thinking can be incorporated into today's society through various methods.
Many things interest me about the term "green politics." Being an environmental science major, I have always been drawn to "green" activities. As a whole, I find politics to be one of the driest subjects, but with the term "green" in front of it, I was intrigued. After one day of class, I think that I will be really enjoying myself in there.
I would like to explore many subjects in here, but what I would really like to explore is sustainable practices brought to society. We can develop great sustainable energy and technology, but if we can't incorporate it into everyday society somehow it will do no good. I'm really looking forward to all of the topics we cover.