Introduction to Journalling about Environmental Science

Online ENVS 100 – JOURNALLING

***** Each Week *****

o Take notes: This first week, set up a journal for this class, in which you keep notes, record thoughts, and draft your journalling tasks. Keep it with you all quarter, as you go about your daily life. You may use a paper journal or smartphone, whichever you find more reliable and accessible 24/7.

o Type it up: Write, type, and spell-check your official journal entry. Be sure to address all parts of the assigned journal questions. Make connections with the module’s assigned readings; synthesize what you have learned during the week. Remember, because there are no exams, this is a large part of your course grade! A week’s worth of journalling is at least one full single-spaced page – not just a paragraph or two.

o Deadline: Finalized journal entries must be posted to the module’s designated JOURNAL discussion board in Canvas. Unless otherwise stated, they must be received before 11:59 pm on Wednesdays & Fridays.

Journal 0 – Introduction to Journalling about Environmental Science

Choose two (2) of the following options. Take notes and record thoughts in your journal, write coherently, spell-check, then post your finalized journal entry to the JOURNAL 0 discussion board in Canvas. Remember, the bare-minimum length is one full single-spaced page of text. Cite sources. You may embed photos, etc to supplement your writings.:

1. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without limiting the ability of people, other species, and future generations to meet their needs.

Why might sustainability be an important goal for a society, and what might be some challenges in realizing the goal? What are some of the roles of environmental sciences in achieving that goal?

2. Water footprint is a measure of humanity’s appropriation of fresh water in volumes of water consumed and/or polluted.

Select one food from the options here: http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/ . Learn about your food’s water footprint, including the kinds of data that go into a water footprint. Reflect.

3. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Investigate one aspect of environmental justice, using the ScoreCard website: http://scorecard.goodguide.com/ index.tcl (toxics, air, water, agriculture). Discuss what you learn. or Read the article, “Toxic Disputes and the Rise of Environmental Justice in Australia” (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/ viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.118.6494&rep=rep1&type=pdf) and share your thoughts.

4. “How do you know what you know, and how will you know if you’re wrong?” and “Not all sources are created equal.”

Reflect on those 2 concepts – deeply and in detail – in the context of our college science course. (They’re recurring themes in my classes.)

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5. What is “the good life”, in your opinion? What variables influence a person’s quality of life? Do you have affluenza? How does this relate to environmental science? How might a person’s worldview affect their answers?

6. Hands-on challenge: Make your own journal, out of recycled paper or clean paper salvaged from the recycling bin. Reflect on how this activity can help you be aware of the resources we may normally use and toss. (Use any techniques you wish; the links below may help you get started if you’ve not made paper or a book before.)

To make a notebook: o Simple: http://www.instructables.com/id/Pocket-NoteBook o From old office paper: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-recycle-office-paper-into-blank-books o Totally recycled: http://www.instructables.com/id/Totally-Recycled-NOTEBOOK o Larger: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-100-page-Notebook To make recycled paper: o Video: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/820961/how_to_recycle_paper_homemade_letter_paper o Photos & words: http://www.ecojoes.com/homemade-paper-ultimate-paper-recycling o Photos & words: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/homemade_recycled_paper

Bonus — Extra Credit — Optional

Discuss one of the following quotations, in the context of our course:

It is certainly a shallow philosophy that would make human welfare synonymous with the indiscriminate production and consumption of material goods. ~Morris Cohen

Would it not be well for us to consider if our deed will warrant the expense of nature? ~Henry David Thoreau

The most common way people give their power is by thinking they don’t have any. ~Alice Walker

How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used. ~Wendell Berry

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