RE: consumption rates & comparisons
Hi Stacy-- Brand new, easy to access report on consumption of resources worldwide available at: http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2009/Overconsumption_Sep09.pdf Hope this helps. Gary Gary Gardner Senior Researcher Worldwatch Institute California office (to reach Gary) 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 95945 TEL: 530-273-7027 ggard...@worldwatch.org Main office 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-452-1999 www.worldwatch.org From: owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu on behalf of VanDeveer, Stacy Sent: Tue 9/22/2009 11:42 AM To: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Subject: consumption rates & comparisons Colleagues, I am wondering if some of you can point me toward any comparisons of Northern & Southern consumption of various resources (agricultural, mineral, whatever...) - current consumption, rates over time, etc. Ideas, citations and naked self-promotion are all most welcome. --Stacy Stacy D. VanDeveer Associate Professor University of New Hampshire Dept. of Political Science Horton SSC Durham, NH 03824 USA stacy.vandev...@unh.edu <mailto:stacy.vandev...@unh.edu> tel: fax: mobile: Skype ID: (+1) 603-862-0167 <http://www.plaxo.com/click_to_call?lang=en&src=jj_signature&To=%28%2B1%29+603%2D862%2D0167&email=...@cisunix.unh.edu> (+1) 603-862-0178 (+1) 781-321-5880 <http://www.plaxo.com/click_to_call?lang=en&src=jj_signature&To=%28%2B1%29+781%2D321%2D5880&email=...@cisunix.unh.edu> stacy.vandeveer Want to always have my latest info? <https://www.plaxo.com/add_me?u=51539758810&src=client_sig_212_1_banner_join&invite=1&lang=en> Want a signature like this? <http://www.plaxo.com/signature?src=client_sig_212_1_banner_sig&lang=en> <>
RE: logos and birds
Thanks, Angus, for that sobering account... Gary Gardner Senior Researcher Worldwatch Institute California office (to reach Gary) 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 95945 TEL: 530-273-7027 ggard...@worldwatch.org Main office 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-452-1999 www.worldwatch.org From: Wright, Angus [mailto:wrig...@saclink.csus.edu] Sent: Thu 9/3/2009 2:42 PM To: Gupta, Aarti; Thomas Eatmon; Gary Gardner Cc: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu; Erik Assadourian Subject: RE: logos and birds On species recognition--- Perhaps of interest along these lines: I taught at Cal State Sacramento, the campus of which is located along the American River. The American River Parkway includes all the land between the levees for an approximately forty mile run from Folsom Dam to the confluence with the Sacramento River. Most of this is left relatively undisturbed by human activity, though there are some formal parks and a metropolitan area of around 2 million beyond the levees on either side. I spend a great deal of time walking, canoeing and swimming in the Parkway so know the area pretty well. As an experiment in various sections of classes I taught called Contemporary Environmental Issues and others called Environmental Ethics, I gave a species list to students. This list consisted of all the species I could easily think of off the top of my head that I had observed along the American River. This consisted of about 150 species of flora and fauna ranging from cottonwood and oak trees to beavers and otters. They were mostly very easily observed, with some exceptions such as the elusive otters, such that students resident in Sacramento for any period would have been expected to have observed most of them hundreds if not many thousands of times. Their task was to check off every species that they thought could be found in the American River Parkway. I used the ordinary common language names universally used in the region, not the Linnean names. The best answer was the one that checked all of the species. I had expected an average of something, say, between fifty and a hundred. Instead, the average number checked was eleven. In a few classes one or two students checked all or something close to it, but as the average of eleven attests, most of the students went well below fifty. Some checked two or three. A few thought that it was a trick and answered "none." On discussion, some of those who had checked none said that they had assumed that the purpose of the exercise was to show how people had devastated nature and they didn't recognize many of the species in any case. Perhaps even more discouraging was that the students in the Environmental Ethics class were almost all Environmental Studies majors, while those in the Contemporary Env. Issues class came from diverse backgrounds, but that made very little difference in the responses. That is, Environmental Studies students did only slighly better than a more diversified selection of students. Nor, on average, did biology students do notably better. The good part about the exercise was that it proved a very useful starting point for discussion, leading in a variety of directions. A very common response was that "we don't have time for that," although it was the rare student who would not then confess to spending a lot of time watching sports, playing video games, drinking beerMany contested some species, arguing that it was simply not possible that there were such things as beavers and deer in the midst of a city--these, they thought were rare and only to be found in "the wild" or that place called "nature." These folks were sometimes devotees of such television shows as "Nature" where they trusted the real species could be observed. But most ended up reflecting that they simply didn't pay much attention when they were outdoors, were embarrassed to ask the names of species, weren't really very interested. At least some did seem to conclude that it might be worth spending more time and more attentive time on the Parkway and outdoors in general. So, for what it is worth. I gave up doing this after a time as it tended to make me feel rather demoralized. Angus Angus Wright Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies California State University, Sacramento From: owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu [owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu] On Behalf Of Gupta, Aarti [aarti.gu...@wur.nl] Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:41 AM To: Thomas Eatmon; Gary Gardner Cc: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu; Erik Assadourian Subject: RE: logos and birds This is really fascinating, thanks! Of interest to us not only as scholars but also as parents... Best regards, Aarti Gupta Aarti Gupta Assistant Professor Environmental Poli
logos and birds
Hi everyone-- Here is what I think is an easy information request--except that it's not been easy for me to nail it down through my own efforts. We all know the story of the study that found that students can identify hundreds of corporate logos, but not the species of birds or trees in their own neighborhood. I would love to find that study, but am wondering, after some internet searches and conversations with colleagues, if the study is an urban legend. Surely the findings are true (I know I can identify many more logos than species), but is it really documented somewhere? Thanks for any leads. Best wishes for a great semester... Gary Gardner Senior Researcher Worldwatch Institute California office (to reach Gary) 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 95945 TEL: 530-273-7027 ggard...@worldwatch.org Main office 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-452-1999 www.worldwatch.org
RE: "The Global Politics of Everyday Things"
You might want to check out "Good Stuff" on the Worldwatch website, many of whose entries are currently being updated. http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/44 Also, Alan Durning and Northwest Environment Watch put out a book called Stuff: The Secret Life of Everyday Things. A little dated now, but possibly still of interest. Gary Gardner Co-Director, State of the World 2008 Worldwatch Institute California office (to reach Gary) 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 95945 TEL: 530-273-7027 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Main office 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-452-1999 www.worldwatch.org <http://www.worldwatch.org/> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Robert Darst Sent: Tue 7/10/2007 4:32 PM To: GEP-Ed Subject: "The Global Politics of Everyday Things" Hi all, At the suggestion of a colleague in the English Department, I foolishly agreed earlier this year to develop a new course for our embryonic Sustainability Studies minor, "The Global Politics of Everyday Things." The basic idea is to present the students with innocuous items that they use every day, and then to trace the commodity chains backwards and forwards to illustrate various aspects of global politics, such as human/children's/women's/labor rights, trade and outsourcing, violent conflict, property rights, environmental protection, functional cooperation, etc. I doubt that there is any aspect of international relations that cannot be approached in this way. Now I only have to prep the course, which brings me to you! Questions: (1) Have any of you ever taught a course along these lines, and if so could you share your syllabus and lessons learned? (2) Do any of you know of good websites where my students (and their instructor) could trace the commodity chains of multiple products? (3) Any suggestions for really surprising "everyday things"--that is, items that no one would ever associate with global politics, but which in fact have quite striking connections? Many thanks! I will certainly share the syllabus when I'm ready to roll. Best, Rob Associate Professor of Political Science Associate Director of the Honors Program University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Ownership and Sustainability
Hi everyone--
You may recall from a query I sent out a few weeks ago that
the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World 2008 will focus on Innovations
for Sustainable Economies. The book will showcase innovations from the policy
and business worlds that could restructure the rules of business and economics
to help produce sustainable societies.
We would love to have a chapter that looks at innovations in resource
ownership (or perhaps more narrowly conceived, property rights?) We imagine
featuring a diverse set of innovations, possibly including these:
--reform of commons management, perhaps emphasizing the
thinking of Peter Barnes as expressed in Capitalism 3.0
--reform of intellectual property rights, especially in an
international context, in line with critiques of current practice from people
like Martin Kohr of the Third World Network
--provision of private property rights to the poor, perhaps in
line (to a limited degree) with some of the ideas of Hernando de Soto
(empowerment of the poor, but without allowing privatization to become a cover
for amassing endless wealth, nor for ownership of commons resources)
We imagine the unifying query of such a diverse chapter to be
this: In this "full world", in which environmental and social ills are
increasingly acute, do we need new norms of resource ownership (broadly
defined) in order to build sustainable societies?
My questions to the group are:
1) can you suggest other innovations in resource ownership that
we ought to be considering for such a wide-ranging chapter? and
2) are you familiar with authors who have broad range of
expertise in such ownership questions, and who can write clearly for a lay
audience?
Thanks for any leads!
Gary Gardner
Director of Research
Worldwatch Institute
California office (to reach Gary)
411 Central Avenue
Grass Valley, CA 95945
TEL: 530-273-7027
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Main office
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
TEL: 202-452-1999
www.worldwatch.org <http://www.worldwatch.org/>
economic mechanisms that discourage sustainability
Hi everyone-- Two weeks ago I asked the list about sources that identify structural economic mechanism that discourage sustainability, from tax policy to building codes. Thanks so much for all the replies. It will take quite a while (and an intern) to go through all the resources that were posted and compile a list. As we complete that task, I will post what we have found to the list. Thanks for your generous response! Gary Gardner Director of Research Worldwatch Institute California office (to reach Gary) 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 95945 TEL: 530-273-7027 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Main office 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-452-1999 www.worldwatch.org <http://www.worldwatch.org/> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of William Hipwell Sent: Wed 3/7/2007 7:13 PM To: Hayes, Graeme; gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Subject: RE: Query on environmental food boycotts Hi Graeme et al.: The voices from small South Pacific states near the blast centres were certainly more concerned with environmental damage than market access, and their concerns were explicitly included in boycott literature circulated in Canada at the time. Er, am I to understand from Graemes epilogue that it's okay to drink French wine again? Dang, I've been missing out on my favourite Châteauneuf du Pape! Cheers, Bill -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hayes, Graeme Sent: Thursday, 8 March 2007 12:13 p.m. To: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Subject: RE: Query on environmental food boycotts Hi, I was also cross enough with Chirac to forego my medicinal glass of grand cru in late 1995 (if, er, only for a while). But the environmental aspect of the French nuclear testing boycott is an interesting one - I seem to recall that there were a number of voices in France, mostly but not exclusively on the Gaullist right, arguing that the boycott was about claiming geo-political leadership, and not about the environment at all (it was pointed out a number of times that Australia was further from the test zone than Peru; that global appeals to boycott French wine helped New World wines reach new markets; and there was also mention of revenge for the 1985 sabotage of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland). Of course, a consumer boycott wasn't an option available within France, for obvious reasons. In fact, though it is legal to boycott consumer goods in France, I think it is still illegal to encourage others to do so (though the Confédération paysanne is currently calling for a mass boycott of all Monsanto's products, an appeal which is little more than symbolic, even by usual boycott standards; French consumers already seem to have decided that GM foods are not for them). Otherwise, your student might look at the McLibel case, and John Vidal's 1997 book McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial (published in the US by The New Press, NY) - for those unfamiliar with the case, McDs took two more or less penniless activists from London Greenpeace to court for distributing anti-McD leaflets which advised consumers to avoid the place. The decision to prosecute for defamation was, spectacularly, an own goal. I guess whether any of these cases are purely environmental is as much a metaphysical question as a political one, though. Best to all Graeme Dr Graeme Hayes Joint Convenor, ECPR GPSG Principal Lecturer in French and European Studies School of Arts & Humanities Nottingham Trent University Nottingham NG11 8NS UK http://www.greenpolitics-ecpr.org/ http://www.ntu.ac.uk/research/school_research/hum/staff/42358.html From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of William Hipwell Sent: Wed 07/03/2007 21:36 To: Leslie Wirpsa; gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Query on environmental food boycotts Hi Leslie: I don't know if this would qualify, but I recall (and indeed, participated in) a boycott of French wine during its resumption of nuclear testing in the South Pacific in the mid-1990s. The arguments against the testing were primarily environmental. Cheers, Bill ** ** Dr. William Hipwell Lecturer, Development Studies Institute of Geography / Te Puutahi Maatai Matawhenua School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences / Te Kura Taatai Aro Whenua Victoria University of Wellington / Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui PO Box 600 Wellington 6001 Aotearoa New Zealand Telephone: +64-4-463-6116 (office) +64-21-773-408 (mobile) william.hipwell (Skype) Facsimile: +64-4-463-5186 E-mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: http://www.geo.vuw.ac.nz/staff
economic mechanisms that discourage sustainability?
Hi everyone-- I am a long-time lurker, second-time writer, from the Worldwatch Institute, where we are planning to focus our State of the World 2008 on the global economy, and on economic innovations that can lead to the building of sustainable economies. I am wondering if anyone knows of a resource that identifies economic mechanisms that tend to encourage unsustainabile economic practices. I have in mind things ranging from macro level mechanisms such as depletion allowances or the use of discount rates that devalue the future, to microlevel mechanisms such as business's pricing policies and a local government's building codes. The list could be huge, of course, and unlikely to be found in a single resource. We are happy to look at different sources that might discuss such mechanisms in the realms of finance, business operations, fiscal policy, trade policy, etc. Anything pop to mind? The purpose is to stimulate the thinking of chapter authors to look into the entrails of their particular chapter topic (agriculture, energy, trade, etc.) to identify mechanisms that need to be reformed or replaced if economies are to move onto a sustainable track. Thanks, and I will compile the responses back to the list in a few days. Gary Gardner Director of Research Worldwatch Institute
simulatios/gaming on global issues
Hi everyone-- Am new to the list, and by way of introduction, I am the Director of Research at the Worldwatch Institute. We are interested in becoming more involved in education, and I think this list will help us to understand what is being done on global education currently. My first question for the list is about computer simulations or gaming on global issues. One of our contacts on the west coast has proposed collaboration on a simulation/game that would allow students to manipulate many variables (population, energy, ag, deforestation, etc.) in an effort to build a sustainable world. He has put some good work into it already. One of our questions, though, is to what degree this effort is trying to reinvent the wheel. Simulations on global issues go back to Dennis & Dana Meadows in the 70s, of course, probably longer, and I don't know what the situation is in university classrooms these days. To what degree are simulations on global issues already available? To what degree are they already being used in the classroom? If not, why not? This would be a large project that would require large funding, and we'd have to satisfy potential funders--and ourselves--that the product our partner would develop can fill a need that is not being met. Can anyone give a sense of where I might get a sense of the landscape on educational simulations on global issues? Thanks so much Gary Gardner Director of Research Worldwatch Institute 411 Central Avenue Grass Valley, CA 530-273-7027
