Now we are in November, about a third of ENVS 220 under our belt. We gathered several tools and skills in our labs in the past weeks, learning statistics, GIS, social networks, narrative analysis, and more. We proposed our areas of study, our concentrations, our unique niches in the wide, interdisciplinary field of Environmental Studies with the resources of Lewis & Clark College at our disposal. Last week we showcased all of our new-found environmental analysis skills on the midterm exam. The goal was to illustrate and exemplify good, varied, aware analysis on an “environmental issue,” the chosen one being a kerfuffle in France involving hippie activists, farmers, and both the local and national governments. The conflicting interest of different parties with different demographics, resources, priorities, and goals, is a theme within the understanding of environmental studies from the very beginnings of our intro class and throughout all of the examples we warmed up with for our midterm, such as the proposal in Oregon to label GMOs on food. The varied interest of various actors is the crux of environmental dilemmas, and the varied nature of environmental analysis is the beginning to finding solutions.
In order to situate many of the themes and skills so far in this class, we have begun a group project. We have decided to look at outdoor lighting in Portland, an object identified by the Lights Out Portland initiative of the Audubon Society. Our task this week has been to identify some of the key descriptive and explanatory questions that drive our analysis of this object. Additionally, we have added two new categories of questions to our repertoire- framing and focus questions. In the infamous hourglass of environmental analysis, where we start broad, narrow down to a situated study, and then extrapolate back outwards for solution oriented findings, this project aims to tackle only the top half- the broad background and the narrow study. We are still grappling with the greater importance of outdoor lighting as it relates to bird safety and how exactly to go about framing and focusing in on Portland as a city to study.
Projects, questions, sustainability and bird safety are in store for us in the coming weeks! We take a respite from ruminating over the specifics and technicalities of a “focus question” in order to take a step back and examine “sustainability” in its amorphous, far-reaching, broad strokes of influence across college campuses worldwide. We wonder what exactly this word means and how colleges institute “sustainable” practices into their curriculum and culture.