On the first day of ENVS 160, I didn’t know if I was going to major in Environmental Studies or Biology. I was hoping that this course, along with Bio 151, would give me a clear view of my future at Lewis & Clark and beyond. About half way through the semester I decided on […]
Institutions Rule the Earth
Who Rules the Earth? (Steinberg 2015) is a book about action. The text highlights many examples of successful and unsuccessful environmental policy throughout the past and how we can use this information to make better decisions in the future. It also discusses different ideas and problems with our current attempts at solving the problems that […]
Reaching institutional, complex, and governmental solutions
ENVS 160 has been full of readings that weave topics together and explore them from many different angles. There are many big ideas that are common among most or all of them, but I think three stood out in particular: the complexity of environmental issues, the idea of institutional action, and the governance of climate. […]
Connections across ENVS 160 and beyond
As we have explored different issues in ENVS 160, connectivity is a predominant theme that I have noticed among many of our studies. Identifying connections between ideas is a way to bring about solutions and to think about issues at a larger scale and how they affect problems we are facing. The connectivity of topics […]
Biophilia: A Problematic Love
Team Members: Ben Carsner, Nicole Godbout, Lauren Walker Definition Biophilia was popularly defined in Edward O. Wilson’s book The Biophilia Hypothesis as “the innate tendency in human beings to focus on life and lifelike processes” (Kellert and Wilson, 1993). It is often used to describe the extent to which humans are hardwired to need connection with […]
From Soil to Airplanes: The Mining and Refining of Bauxite
Team Members: Lauren Walker, Nicole Godbout, and Ben Carsner Overview Bauxite, an aluminum ore, is the main source of the world’s aluminum metal. Bauxite is naturally gray but iron oxide impurities causes it to appear reddish brown. Most bauxite reserves are located near the equator in tropical and subtropical regions. Australia, China, Brazil, India, and […]
Climate Change: A Thorn in the City of Roses
Team members: Nicole Godbout, Lauren Walker, and Ben Carsner Procedure Climate change continues to be a hotly debated topic as many countries and corporations value profit more than the conservation and preservation of our planet. It is important to understand the reasoning and opinions of individuals and nations that form these debates. Our Intro to […]