Start Here Coming into Introduction to Environmental Studies the scope of the subject may seem daunting, and what I have found is that this overwhelming feeling may not go away in one short semester. ENVS 160 will clarify and expand specific lessons and aspects of the subject through readings, projects, discussion, and reflection. I have found […]
Implementing New Approaches
Reforming Environmental Studies ENVS 160 has lead me to rethink aspects of our physical planet and human society including Climate change, material consumption, environmentalism, influence, and power. While each of the readings in the course belonged to specified sections they all relate to one another to create more dynamic lessons of Environmental thought, connections […]
Understanding the True Source of Change
Rules Rule The argument for biking, reusable grocery bags, and priuses that often fills conversations of what can be done to stop climate change is rooted in the idea that individual actions are the key to controlling our earth. Paul Steinberg, however, exposes and discredits this notion in his work, Who Rules the Earth? How […]
Common Threads Sewn Together
Classic vs. Contemporary, Outright vs. Underlying Even though our intensive discussion of classic and contemporary environmentalism officially began with our study of Mark Shellenberger and Ted Norhous’ Love Your Monsters: Post Environmentalism and the Anthropocene, the distinction between classic and contemporary was first introduced through Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Mike Hulme. Hulme discusses […]
Powerful Distinctions
Looking back, my past environmental education was very straightforward, possibly the most clear cut the subject could potentially be. Small moments of uncertainty, confusion and frustration were outweighed by fact and concrete answers that rarely gave insight into divergent ways of thinking about environmental issues, solutions, and concepts. In ENVS 160 this framework, was immediately […]
Portlandia’s Discourse on Climate Change
Team members: Kyle Mezrahi, Berkly Martell, Summer Watkins, Shoshana Rybeck, and Jesse Milman Procedure Although the assignment reads “…form a group of 2-4 people”, Professor Proctor gave us permission to form a group of five. The main goal of this surveying assignment was to understand how the various people of Portland, Oregon perceive the importance […]