Future ENVS Students, Welcome! Environmental Studies can be a difficult yet rewarding course, filled with lots of hearty information from each section. Although, it can prove to be overwhelming as the texts are in depth and complex, throwing lots of different opinions and ideas your way that can bog you down a bit if you […]
A Complex, but Beautiful Web
At the brink of the fast approaching summer, we are asked to reflect upon our courses, deciding what new knowledge we will leave with and decide to implement in our own lives. In this post I will talk about the main takeaways that I have from ENVS 160 and how I plan on using them […]
We Can All Rule the Earth If We are Big Enough
Who Rules the Earth? How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives by Paul F. Steinberg has without a doubt been my favorite book covered in ENVS 160. Partially because of his style and vibrant examples of the material he covers, but mostly because of the take home message he presents, closing the book […]
Piecing it all together
The interdiscplinarity of Environmental Studies not only encourages us, as students, to connect different disciplines, but also different opinions, perspectives and ideas about environmental issues. In this post I explore some connections that I have discovered throughout this semester. Consumerist Hypocrisy (AE & MMW) Both Leigh Phillips and Vaclav Smil talk about the dangers […]
I, Myself and Everyone Else
I, Myself and Everyone Else: Realizations of a Limited Individual Perspective by: Morgan Griffith I have realized, during the course of ENVS 160, that an interdisciplinary program such as this course requires me to dig deep into my brain and grasp for loose ends to tie together and synthesize the vast knowledge that I […]
Ecospirituality: Finding Meaning Beneath our Feet
Ecospirituality Morgan Griffith & Rob Nakihei Define: Ecospirituality is essentially a movement as well as a belief system that connects humans to the earth. This could mean people wanting to escape a consumerist and materialistic culture and return to more holistic morals and values that are less artificial and shallow (Wikipedia). It is a belief […]
Mailin’ Kaolin (flown, not always locally known)
Clay Minerals-Kaolin Kaolinite, or Kaolin in its mined form, is one of the most common types of clay minerals. It is also referred to as “china clay”. It is a soft, malleable clay and is usually white colored although sometimes, exposure to iron oxide can cause it to have a rust hue. Kaolin is produced […]
Climate Change: More of a Grey Area than the Portland Sky
Climate Change is such an expansive issue that it can be a difficult thing to swallow. It is very difficult to assign value to an issue that many see as an issue of the future, as well as an issue not addressed frequently enough, especially politically. Therefore opinion on this topic ranges greatly, as we […]