
In theory, ecovillages are a great concept – conserving energy through community. In reality, ecovillages are not feasible. When the guest speaker was speaking on the costs and such of ecovillages, it is just not possible for most people. Yes, in Ithaca, it may be possible to live green. However, most of the American population does not live in Ithaca; they mostly live in urban cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, etc…). This type of village is also a community only white people could achieve peacefully. If a person of color attempted to have a village like this, the police would constantly have a suspicious eye on the community. Not only is there a constant police in communities filled with people of color, but the act of slaughtering animals and creating greenhouses will seem suspicious. This type of living would not end well for most people. Plus, most people cannot just drop everything they know to essentially start over. Not everyone is privileged in that fashion. I think when environmental activism is addressed, people of color, low-income people, and those that are indirectly affected by environmental activism (migrant workers, people who create environmentally safe objects, etc…) are largely ignored.
According to the U.S. State Department, there has been a 35 percent increase in terrorist attacks. This data is relative to what exactly is considered a terrorist attack and if domestic terrorism is considered, but I digress. Recently, there has been many debates regarding the longevity of resources such as oil and water. Because a water and oil shortage is upon us, many have become desperate to obtain these resources resulting in violence. As Bill Nye states, “The more we let [climate change] go on, the more trouble there’s going to be.”
If you’d like to see the entire interview, please click here.
In Woodland, North Carolina, voters rejected a solar panel farm because of their alleged capabilities to soak up all of the sun’s energy. No, this is not an Onion article. This is real life. People are preventing measures that could help the environment due to misinformation and blatant ignorance. Although some places are more environmentally aware and conscious, many other towns are not, This town, and many others, need a proper education on environmentalism. After all, environmentalism could literally save their lives. Check out more information regarding the rejection of the solar panels here.
As we look towards educating the future generations we will need to continually increase the methods by which we educate. Video games can, in large, be a big part of the solution here. This is a segment from energyNOW! with Lee Patrick Sullivan that offers some interesting insight:
Buzzfeed just put out an interesting quiz, and I was surprised by some of the results. Here.
In a time where environmental destruction seems to be all we can talk about, its always hopeful to see some good news. Out of the Paris climate conference there is a plan to restore 386,000 acres of forest in Africa.
According to the article, “The African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) has secured commitments from six nations to restore 78.3 million acres and has pending promises from four more countries. The program has been officially adopted by the African Union, and international partners have pledged more than $1.5 billion in various forms of financial support.”
While some people are worried this program will focus too much on restoration and not preventing deforestation, it seems to be a step in the right direction.
What do you think about Africa’s plan to restore the forests?
Check out the full article here.
Since becoming more politically and environmentally conscious this semester, thanks to the upcoming election and our environmental film course, I have become almost hyperaware of the opinions of my extended family and how much I disagree with them on most subjects. Some of them even support Donald Trump which is scary to me. Sometimes I wonder how I’m related to them at all.
But anyway, I have had some recent Facebook arguments regarding climate change and global warming. I received the typical responses such as “global warming is bullshit” and just general comments about Al Gore’s “creepy eyes” whatever that means. I argued back with facts and figures but no one was swayed. It’s very disheartening to know that your family members don’t seem to care about the future of the earth, but they would rather talk about their right to own a firearm.
I guess I’m just curious how other people deal with their republican relatives. Do you whole-heartedly argue with them? Ignore them? Humor them? What do you think is the best approach?
Net Impact is an organization of more than 80,000 students and professions who are dedicated to making positive social and environmental change in the workplace and in the world as a whole. The Net Impact organization has chapters across the nation. If you attend school in Ithaca NY, both Ithaca College and Cornell have chapters. Especially for those who aspire to have a professional career in the business world, while promoting sustainable practices, Net Impact is a good way to get started. Check out their website at www.netimpact.org
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