Month: May 2020

Reading 1: The Death of Environmentalism M. Shellenberger & T. Nordhaus

The definition of what is environmental needs expansion. CAFE reminds me of the Volkswagen scandal. I’ve never heard of the New Apollo Project, so it probably wasn’t super successful, but since it’s mentioned in the reading, there are at least take-aways to get from it. Coalition building is cool.

Reading 2: Sustainability Thwink.org

Definitions of sustainability in a comparative sense. I hadn’t thought of it in a pillared manner before, but I’m down for the environmental, economic, and social.

Reading 3: OWU Sustainability Plan (2017)

Goals Reached:More grassroots work! More collaboration!

Goals not Reached: Not as many quantifiable goals. Future edits have more potentially.

Reading 4: Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation

Sustainability really means to uphold. This definition and analysis is a foundation for ensuring human existence in the near and distant future.

Reading 5: “‘Scrappy’ Sustainability at Ohio Wesleyan University,” 

Wow #theoryintopractice am I right? It is a great look at how to further sustainability with a lack of funding but sense of scrappiness in making it happen. I knew Emily just a little bit, so it was cool to read this.

Reading 6: Geography 360 Environmental Geography Projects

Ah geography 360. It was good to read what projects are in motion, which ones have been achieved and which ones flopped. I hope we have a lot more successful ones in the future!

Reading 7: Special Report: OWU Sustainability.

An interesting read on how sustainability has changed in recent years. Cool interviews and familiar faces in the professors and administrators.

Reading 8:Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on Sustainability– Spring, 2009 & Supplemental Web Material 

Just how many wordpress blogs have you made? Glad to see that there has been consistent interest in promoting sustainability on campus.

Reading 9: Sustainability Region NSF Grant Proposal and Map/Poster.

I’ve seen these maps in the classroom, and now I know where they came from! Hopefully these individual pieces can still come together, even if they are funded or achieved in different manners.

Reading 10: The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior

A bit of a longer reading, but a great how-to on sustainable behaviors and continued interest for the self and for others.

Reading 11: “Against Environmental Panic.”

Bruckner is a little harsh, but man his prose is beautiful. It can be very entertaining/infuriating to get a view like this on environmentalism.

Reading 12: “How the Rich Plan to Rule a Burning Planet

This is something I feel like isn’t talked about enough. Climate change and pollution affects economic classes differently, especially in the midst of crises.

Reading 13: Scrappy Sustainability — Fall 2019

Wow look at OWU go! Would a sustainability coordinator even help us out that much? Seems like we’ve made a lot of progress without one

Pre-pandemic work

Post-Pandemic Work

Virtual Earth Day in carbon footprint calculator and work on student symposium

Reading 1: Death of Environmentalism – The death of environmentalism takes a critical approach to some of the pitfalls of modern environmentalism. I especially found the section on environmental group think to be important and interesting to consider when working with green projects.

Reading 2: Sustainability – Argues against the popular definition of sustainability and stresses the importance of three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social.

Reading 3: OWU Sustainability Plan – Lays out a plan in the form of goals for sustainability initiatives at Ohio Wesleyan University with four larger initiatives and more specific actions and goals.

Reading 4: Sustainability, A Comprehensive Foundation – An in depth analysis of sustainability: breaking down the word and further defining it with emphasis on the goal of humans living indefinitely on the earth.

Reading 5: Scrappy Sustainability – One of the main pieces of this class! Making sustainability work in an imperfect situation: lacking resources and funds, but making things happen by being pragmatic. Good for students!

Reading 6: GEOG 360 Projects – Many projects have been undertaken at OWU, not all successfully but with good intentions and sound research.

Reading 7: Special Report: OWU Sustainability – In depth and thorough scoop on OWU sustainability happenings. I wish we had access to the full interviews.

Reading 8: STF Recommendations – Interesting to see just how long there has  been a building interest in  sustainability efforts on  campus.

Reading 9: NSF & Sustainability Region Map – Great potential, and really sad to see that it could not move forward because lack of suitable contribution by OWU.

Reading 10: Psychology of Sustainable Behavior – This was a super interesting psychological perspective on talking about climate change and environmental issues in general.

Reading 11: Against Environmental Panic – Typical of Bruckner’s writings, interesting but extremely and (in my opinion) overly critical of the environmental and scientific movements.

Reading 12: How the Rich Plan to Rule a Dying Planet – This was an amazing essay that delved into an argument we hear often: rich people will be just fine when the impacts of climate change hit.

Reading 13: Scrappy Sustainability – How far the sustainability efforts have come despite lacking in funding or a coordinator!

Pre-pandemic work

Post-spring break work: Vearth Week work and helping set up the documentary and teaching kitchen Zooms

Pre-Pandemic work

Post-Pandemic work

• Working with Chef Del to do a sustainable food workshop over zoom