What is Life? (PSP)

“the condition that distinguishes animals, plants, and other organisms from inorganic or inanimate matter, characterized by continuous metabolic activity and the capacity for functions such as growth, development, reproduction, adaptation to the environment, and response to stimulation; (also) the activities and phenomena by which this is manifested.”

Deer under the trampoline, Ponderosa Pines oozing clear sap, white-caps on the lake, ospreys flying above seeking out prey in the reeds and grasses below, the blue sky, the clouds drifting overhead, the sun peering over the Eastern mountain tops, shadows clinging to the crags of rock, the city in the distant valley to the north. These are things that describe what you can see from my house. To me this picture is alive and overall, life is inspiring. When I look at nature, I see everything that contributes to its beauty, the rocks, streams, plants, animals, weather, everything. Components such as water, light, rocks and soil are abiotic factors but they play an important role to the lives of those who are living such as the surrounding plants and animals. Lichens need rocks as a foundation and begin to break it down to eventually form soil. Once soil is formed, seeds can be dispersed and over time, can grow into seedlings then fully-grown plants. As this occurs, more and more organism move into the area, relying on the resources previously established there. The point I’m trying to make is that “living” organisms are interdependent. On a holistic level, all components of life are directly dependent on abiotic factors such as sun, rain or soil. Ultimately, the definition above restricts life to certain components I listed: the deer, trees, ospreys, reeds, grasses et cetera. Despite the important role water, light and soil plays in the lives of these organisms, they are not defined as living but can be characterized as living in the sense that they make such a large contribution to the existence of life itself. These abiotic factors are in principle, ingredients for life.

A Car-Dominated World (PSP)

Currently, our entire planet is infested.

The automobile has taken over every piece of land in the world. This beast has adapted to every climate, terrain and weather type. It has become tolerant to its environment through the innovation of progressive man.

Unfortunately, the car has become almost entirely integrated into not only or social structure but also our economic and environmental sectors as well. Socially, we rely on cars to move us from place to place quickly and efficiently. What kind of costs does this have though? Individually, the costs are not very high despite the costs of the car itself, maintenance and fuel. Economically, these machines are in first place. They have created a demand for oil that supersedes that of food and water in Westernized societies. This neoliberal viewpoint is unsustainable. This leads to the environmental impact cars have. Not only are cars burning fossil fuels thus releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, increasing the global temperature but the infrastructure or habitat required by these vehicles are immense. Cars are an invasive species and destroy local ecological habitat. The establishment of roads and highways create rifts in ecosystems, cutting off ecological pathways and reducing the amount of resources available to local vegetation and wildlife. Not only are cars affecting the environment at a local level but have massive impacts in different parts of the world. The Alberta Tar Sands are a good example of what happens when cars have infiltrated our minds, causing us to value their convenience rather than look at what the costs are. The environmental destruction due to the extraction of oil sands is tragic. The operation has resulted in the degradation of the local water table, the destruction of the boreal forest and thus the destruction of many species’ habitats.

Cars have wormed their way into our lives and continue to strive to be at the top of the economic, social and ecological food chain. It’s our responsibility to re-think and re-evaluate what’s important to us. The creation of the car was in fact, our doing. It can also be our undoing. Let’s make a change for the better and think on a holistic level. 

Post-Course: Personal Sustainability Definition (PSP)

Sustainability: Holistic level thinking; taking into consideration each individual system and ultimately each network that are interconnected with the primary action. These systems must remain intact while maintaining other interdependent systems. Sustainability can be divided into 3 categories or pillars: Environment, Economy and Society. Each one of these components MUST be accommodated for if one is affected by an action. At a universal level, each action must benefit or not affect the economy, environmental stability or social standing if it is part of an intimate network of interdependent variables.

Climate Change and Health Module Feedback (PSP)

I like the layout of the front page of the NextGenU.org website. It contains all the information I need to know regarding what the website is aiming to do, showing frequently asked questions and contact information et cetera. The font and colours are all appropriate. One thing that is missing from the front page though would be, as we talked about in class, people. It would be nice to show a picture or even better, a slide show of occasionally updated pictures that represent the values and goals of NextGenU. This would spruce up the front page, creating a more welcoming atmosphere to the viewer.

When I click on the course, Emergency Medicine, my initial response to the Course Home Page was “meh”. It would be cool to see a more elaborate layout with the criteria at the top so the viewer or student can see clearly what is required of them. I like how there is a list of glossary terms used for “Vocabulary Games”. One thing that I would definitely improve would be the speaker when you click on the audio symbol and the voice asks you for feedback as one of the first students of NextGenU. It would be nice to hear a real human being talking rather than a “Microsoft” voice. This would integrate the student more thoughtfully into the program, allowing them to connect with people rather than an automaton. Personally, I'd rather talk to someone than hear an automatic voice recording (especially if it's not human). On the other hand, it’s nice to see the figure of the teacher on the right-hand side of the page but it would be better if it were a picture of a real person. Overall, this first page is not bad; it just needs a few improvements.

YES! Module 1! I see a picture of people! As a viewer, I immediately looked at this image. Well done. I also like how there isn’t an overwhelming amount of information on the page, this is important to maintaining the interest of the student. I would like to see the title, “Module 1: Patient Care”, stand out with a more interesting font choice and colour scheme.

For the Competencies, it’s really nice to see a Learning Objectives section. I know, as a student, that these sections are very important to my future understanding of the material. I also love to see the continuity of the images that relate to the individual page. Overall, these Competency sections and Modules can be improved based on the prior paragraph.

Ultimately, this website looks promising. I like the layout and format of the site because it seems compatible with one’s basic technological skill. The only major advice I would have for the site would be to showcase that this is a new and modern university! Look at UBC and how we showcase our university through the beautiful surroundings on campus as well as the human interactions and academic excellence. NextGenU can take this into consideration, allowing the site to welcome scholars all over the world in a universally pleasing way.

A Tree - Poetry Slam (PSP)

A Tree

Mighty giant fallen

            To the forest floor.

Thick gnarled roots

            Clutching at rocks

                        Holding them close, seeking

                                    Security from the earth;

                                                The earth from when its first food came.

Cradled in the bosom of loving Mother Earth.

Lying now its full length stretched,

In pain of death.

Sap, clear and fragrant,

Oozing from broken branches with piney needles,

                        Taking in the sun,

                        Towering over all other living things.

A resting place for birds,

A shelter for the deer.

The stories it could tell of the grass beyond the montains,

Of sparkling rivers coursing their riches to the sea.

And of the coming of progressive man.

In not so many years this mind excelled.

The building of machinery was but,

A simple task. 

Soon the creeping crawling monster,

Wended its way,

Heeding not where it trod,

Caring not for little things,

Making straight for the prize.

The heavenly, stately, irreplaceable tree.

Community Engagement Piece - Letter to the Editor (PSP)

Vancouver Observer: Letter to the Editor – Soft Plastics Recycling

Vancouver Greenest City 2020? Expand our recycling programs.

We all know the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. From an early age in Vancouver we are taught to put plastic bottles in the recycling bin and not in the garbage can. And yet, our ability to actually participate in such recycling programs when we enter the workplace, or the post secondary setting, or even  try to get involved at home, is limited by the availability and the accessibility of recycling programs and infrastructure for residents of this city. A huge part of being green, after all, is about convenience.

Currently, there are two types of recycling programs available for Vancouver city residents: the blue box recycling program and the apartment recycling program. Neither of these accepts plastic bags or plastic films which are also known as “soft plastics.” This is despite the fact that there are facilities which will recycle these products, such as West Coast Recycling located in Richmond.

Why not? Why are consumers who want to recycle these products required to hold onto them and then bring them to the available facilities, which are often out of the way? Is that feasible for the majority of Vancouver residents? Probably not.

What we need are available recycling programs for Vancouver city residents that are convenient. Until we create such programs, it is highly unlikely that the majority of Vancouver will keep, wash and drop off their soft plastics at depots completely out of their way. We should start by creating soft plastics recycling programs so families can get involved from their homes. From there, businesses and post-secondary institutions could get involved as well.

Is Vancouver going to be the greenest city by 2020? Only time will tell, but a good start is to make it more convenient for the people of this city to participate and get involved in reducing our foot print; start with our recycling programs.

Sincerely,

Jordan, Kristina and Nicole

Creative PSP Assignment #4 - Social Movement

In response to the YouTube video: "Counterfeit Gods" 

            The aim of this creative reflection is to raise awareness about how there is no political or social will in our society to generate effective change. The goal isn’t necessarily trying to rally all video gamers together to initiate that change but is a symbol of the problem itself.

           

            Personally, if I were to go about rallying a large group of people it would be difficult but possible. The key to gaining the support of others is to speak out for something that they believe is true and is worth fighting over. What I’m trying to say is that since people lack that willingness to initiate change, it is in the hands of those who contain that passion and eagerness to unite the people. This is illustrated in the last frame of the comic where Keller realizes that if he is to inspire a willingness to change, he must mobilize the people by giving them the tools necessary to carrying that change out.

            Ultimately, this can be done. Through community programs it happens all the time at a small level; now we have to look at the global. How can we inspire willingness in others to stand up with their neighbours and solve the Earth’s problems? It takes one person with a little bit of courage and heart. An example of someone that “rallied the masses” would be Craig Kielburger. When he was young he saw in the newspaper an article reporting how a child labourer stood up for himself and was killed because if it. Craig saw this as completely unfair and wrong so he talked about it in class that day and asked if any of his classmates would want to help make a difference. Several peers raised their hands and that was the birth of one of the largest youth movements in the world: Free the Children. This goes to show that through a small action and a lot of effort, one can have a large impact on those around them, creating change.

Creative PSP Assignment #3 - Shit: A Dramatic Realism

            The first time I watched the YouTube video about how so many people live in such unsanitary conditions my first response was to recoil in disgust. My second response was to empathize and imagine what it would be like to have to use the river or local fields as a place to “do my business”. But watching this video involved no use of euphemisms. None at all. These people are struggling to survive and are, in our Westernized eyes, sacrificing not only dignity but precious resources that could be utilized for water or food. The tragic piece of information that would contest my prior sentence would be to acknowledge the fact that these people DO utilize their fields and crops and rivers for food and water. They are literally eating out of their toilet.

            Why do these people have to go in the rivers and fields? It just makes me think about how upsidedown and backwards our world really is (as Kurt elaborately and passionately made clear to us) and ultimately inspires me to raise awareness about issues like these. But honestly what else can I do? Does raising awareness genuinely create change in these foreign countries? Does our knowledge of the issue really give these people a toilet? Fundamentally, awareness comes with action but in our society, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. How can we change this mentality? How can we see these tragic and backwards issues as if it were happening to us? Can we honestly absorb passion through a television or computer screen or do we actually have to see what’s happening for ourselves to ultimately pursuade ourselves something needs to be done? Just some thoughts.

            In our Westernized society, we are blessed with a sewage system but is it really something we should be continuing to be thankful for or should we step up and critically analyze what we're doing. Right now, we're defecating in our water. How can we change that? One option that comes to my mind is in the application of compostable toilets. If our society initiated the transition to an infrastructure that houses compostable toilets, it would be easier to take that application and use it in places that lack a toilet system. Overall, we need to look at the issues in the world and use them to create a system that works for everyone. Using a cyclical process that harnesses human waste would be most efficient. The best way to come up with an idea for this would be to look at nature and figure out a way to copy it; it's simply bio-mimicry. The ultimate result would be a system that requires little labour or perhaps is self-maintained.

Creative PSP Assignment #2 - Shipbreaking in Bangladesh

        This picture is in response to the pictures of the shipbreaking practices in Bangladesh. To me, it represents quite a few things. First of all, the line of Bangladeshi people hauling a rope, pulling a ship on to shore. This line not only represents the perverse levels of hard labour that these people continually suffer through but also the fact that they have banded together to aid one another. This idea reflects that the world can work in harmony with one another, despite the hardships we face.

        This ties into the next aim of my drawing which is in relation to the smudging. I smudged the graphite to acknowledge the dirty and harsh conditions that the Bangladeshi people work and live in. It is a muddy, cruel and environmentally unstable community exposing toxic chemicals such as arsenic into not only the physical environment but into the physical systems of each person working on these sites.

        Finally, this ties into my last goal for the drawing. I intentionally crumpled part of the paper to represent political corruption. Most of the ships that are dumped on the beaches of Bangladesh originate from Western societies, particularly the United States. How can the US allow their ships to be deconstructed in this manner? There is a point where politics have to step in and stand up for the good of the people and the environment rather than for the good of the economy. It is hypocritical to allow such practices to occur elsewhere in the world when it is not permitted in the host's country. Just because it is out of sight, does not mean that it can or should be out of mind.

Food Systems Mind Map - Big Industrial Buyers (PSP)

Technology Mindmap - A Generation of the iPhone (PSP)

Food Concept Map - Growth of an Organic Tomato (PSP)

My Personal Sustainability Pathway (PSP)

My Carbon Footprint (PSP)

1)      My areas where my carbon footprint is the largest is in the ‘Secondary’ calculator which is a collective total of food preferences, fashion choices, packaging, furniture and electronics, recycling recreation, car manufacture, finance and other services. My personal footprint for this section was 1.60 metric tons of CO2 where my overall personal footprint is 1.87 metric tons. That means that my secondary contributors account for 86% of my carbon footprint. I learned that purchasing foods closer to home and seasonally grown foods are a key contributor to my carbon footprint which surprised me.

2)      In many cases, a lot of the activities we carry out in our lives can be significantly regulated simply by being more aware of other options. Since I live on campus, I don’t need a car and rarely use the transit systems unless it’s for an outing of some kind. People can organize themselves to be more efficient even when it comes to travelling. There are other options people can use to reduce transit carbon footprints such as hybrid vehicles or electric. Overall, it’s important to understand that we don’t need a lot of things and that is definitely the main contributor to our carbon footprint in general, the fact that we are a society of leisure and convenience. We have a choice to eat local, walk/bike to work or school, save energy by using less power, buy products that have less packaging, recycle everything we use as well as many other factors.

3)      My footprint in comparison to Canada’s average is significantly lower but that is strictly because of my situation of living. I’m living on residence with no need to move around. I admit that if I were at home (my house in the Okanagan) I would have a higher carbon footprint. But even looking at the global goal’s footprint, it’s hard to realistically imagine a world that can live up to that. I believe that it’s not feasible first of all because of infrastructure and population density. We need to be mobile to live and to be mobile, we use energy. The global target is lower than my footprint, which is pretty significant judging by the fact that I don’t have a car or anything that contributes majorly to the carbon footprint. If the world wants to fulfill its millennium goal for a low carbon footprint, people will have to re-establish their values and ultimately their entire ways of living. It’s not possible in the near future, in North America anyways. As for actions that would reduce my individual footprint, I’m interested in completely avoiding packaging as well as moving towards buying locally grown and organic foods since the alternatives otherwise increase the carbon footprint significantly.

4)      Some of the challenges are simply due to the fact that we can’t avoid certain things that contribute to our carbon footprint such as plastic packaging or heating our homes and using electricity. If the action for reduction is to stop using a CO2 emitting vehicle, the initial costs are high and some people can’t afford it but it will pay off in the long run. For example, if one were to purchase a green energy vehicle, there would be no emissions but the cost to buy a green energy car is very expensive. Also, a lot of green initiatives that are being used today are simply inconvenient. Recycling is a process that takes labour and effort. In our society, we are not enabled or educated on ways we can recycle all of our waste because of the fact that we are so used to a different system. The key point is that infrastructure needs to change and to do that, there needs to be a pivot in political will as well as societal will.

5)      Some ways to address these challenges would be to educate others on the issue and provide a means of solving the problem that works. The problem is inspiring enough people to make it happen. Once something is rolling, it’s easy to establish infrastructure because if the people want it, the government will look into it. Ultimately, people need to address their own lives. Collaboratively, everyone who alters themselves a little bit by doing little things that are more ecologically friendly, the trends will catch on. A collective action that a small community could make would be to establish programs that house sustainability initiatives and start the process of building a system that can become reliable and convenient. One example of this could be setting up a recycling program that one hundred percent recycles all waste. To have a program like this, you need waste that can be recycled and that’s a whole different action in general but it all ties together. On a global scale this would be ideal because it would greatly reduce waste, even cutting it out completely. This would have major benefits to the health of our global ecosystems as well as our own. It would also reduce GHG emissions because it would cut down the amount of energy we would need to process and treat our waste.

6)      In my opinion, the carbon-footprint calculator is effective in analyzing ecological change but is hard to assess the effects of it on behaviour. The process of becoming an activist for change is not an easy one. To assess one’s carbon footprint is very useful to getting a head start on what can be reduced and improved in individual lives but overall change relies on motivation. If someone doesn’t see a point to changing, why would they?

Peer Feedback (Prior to final copy)

·         “Good clarification/examination of WHAT contributed to your main carbon footprint factor.”

·         “Focus on awareness and thoughts of increasing awareness leading to change were great, and totally spot-on (in my opinion). There was a lot of great thoughtful insight in your reflection, evident that you explored WHAT the main carbon contributors were. All points in criteria were addressed well. Great job!”

·         “Submission meets word criteria. The carbon footprint calculator was used and ideas were separated into sections but flowed smoothly.”

·         “Possible solutions to reducing carbon footprint are identified and suggestions of how others can carry out lifestyle changes are also discussed.”

·         “The problems/difficulties with carrying out this planned action (individual and collective) are also discussed.”

·         “Impressively low carbon footprint. No suggestions. Good stuff!”

·         “In section 3, clarify where is ‘home’. Also I feel like you should expand on the fact you think the ideal GHG target is unfeasible.”

·         “You provide some great insight on behavioural and infrastructural change, but I’m not sure you directly address the one action you are going to take, and one action you would like at the collective level, nor how this affects global health. Since these are key objectives for the assignment…”

·         “1^st paragraph is great, very clear.”

·         “Maybe you can concentrate on your food choices? Or, you mention education, so maybe leverage that discussion point?”

·         “You have it at 717 words.”

Personal Sustainability Action and Reflection (PSP)

          As a firm believer and advocate for a global revolution that is fighting to reduce the planet’s plastic footprint, I took it upon myself to invest in a set of reusable soap containers from the Soap Dispensary on 3623 Main Street to reduce the amount of plastic I consume through the use of toiletries such as shampoo and conditioner bottles. 

                                                 

          The Dispensary itself is an amazing store established by a local couple who have designed it specifically to provide consumers who wish to reduce their plastic footprints with reusable glass bottles that have a cork as a stopper rather than a plastic one. They also allow consumers to refill their bottles using one of their many bulk soap dispensers. The Dispensary has an astonishing collection of soaps and bathroom lotions, ranging from dish and laundry soap to face moisturizers. Overall, the Dispensary has provided consumers with an option of plastic reduction that was not available prior to its establishment, in Vancouver anyways.        

            

          Not only is the Dispensary sustainable in its promise to reduce plastic from the use of everyday, household cleaners and personal care products but in its promotion of environmentally friendly products. All the soaps sold at the Dispensary are biodegradable and are safe for children and pet use as well as for people with sensitive skin. Some of the products are even vegan certified not to mention the fact that they are all supplied by multiple companies across Canada. Ultimately, the Soap Dispensary has lived by the commonly revered concept: the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle and also a fourth R that I try to abide by: Refuse) and plans on continuing to help create a more sustainable world.         

                                  

          Personally, it has been incredibly rewarding to use these reusable glass bottles in my life. I have taken it upon myself to purchase other products that help reduce my plastic footprint prior to the purchase of these soap bottles such as reusable bamboo utensils which help reduce the dependency on disposable plastic cutlery. I honestly never thought of a method in which to target my toiletries but now that I think about it, the amount of plastic that goes into the production of personal care products and household cleaning products is significant. Why haven’t I taken notice to this earlier? The Soap Dispensary has opened my eyes to target every aspect of my life in the fight against plastic consumption.  

                                                                     

          I also find it really cool to be able to say that I have these new bottles. I have them neatly organized and labeled in my cupboard. I know that I will continue to use these. It is kind of funny because I can foresee myself becoming attached to the bottles because I won’t have the displeasure of having to throw them away every couple of months or so. That’s definitely a benefit: the sentimental attachment to my shampoo and conditioner. I personally haven’t had the opportunity to refill my bottles at the Dispensary yet but I’m sure that when I do, it will be an enlightening experience not to mention socially rewarding. I’m sure that I will become close to the couple that run the store because they can bet that they will be seeing me more often.      

              

          Our global community faces a plastic crisis. The amount of plastic pollution in the world is contaminating the environment’s many ecosystems at an exponential rate. Our hydrological systems, geological zones and air spaces alike are all being affected by the consumption of plastic and if we do not cease the flows of this garbage into our world, our home, by changing our individual lives through simple actions such as the choice to reuse products, we will suffocate in a poison soup of polypropylene, polyethylene and many other “poly-plastics”. To take action is to make a decision on what we believe is right. Together, let’s work towards a plastic-free future; we just need to revaluate our own lives and apply what we learn from that.

Environmental Autobiography (PSP)

            My name is Jordan Pryce. I am a first year student at the University of British Columbia and I plan on pursuing a future in physical geography and sustainability. Ever since I was little, I have had an admiration for my physical environment. I have always loved the trees and the streams and creeks that flow peacefully over rocks. Ultimately, nature has had an instrumental influence on what I am passionate about.

            Although I have a strong personal interest in nature and on the way it works in harmony with humans, I have many role models that have shaped my passion and helped me understand our environment for its beauty, serenity and key role in our society. Both my parents work in environmental sectors. My father works for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in Water Allocation. His job is to make sustainable water land use decisions. My mother works for the Nature Conservancy of Canada and she works to conserve and protect private land through the outright purchase, receipt of donated lands, or by placing conservation covenants on certain properties. Since 2008, she has worked to conserve 9250 acres of natural habitat for plants and animals. Through their work and passions, I have gained an appreciation for how our world is changing in terms of new technology and sustainable practices and that as humans we need to understand that to be forever fruitful we must attain a sustainable way of living. I also look up to Mark and Craig Kielburger who are the founders of Free the Children, an organization designed to end child labour. Through their work I have come to realize that anyone can make a difference in the global community and be a leader, even at a young age.

Leadership itself is a paramount concept in my life. It has led to the funneling of my interest into the vast field of sustainability. In high school, I was involved with many activities that allowed me to carry out my role as a leader. From the end of grade 10 to grade 12, I had been involved with Amnesty Global Awareness, a group that works to create awareness of poverty and social injustices in our school. Amnesty helped me establish my talents in organization and as a public speaker. I helped organize coffeehouse fundraisers which funded certain Amnesty initiatives such as our school’s orphanage in Vietnam. I also hosted these events as a master of ceremonies allowing me to publically reflect on the specific issue that was being fundraised for. I was also involved in Link Crew which is a program established by our school to provide guidance and interaction with new students transitioning from middle school to ensure their success. In Link Crew, I conducted team building activities with a small group of students giving them the opportunity to get to know one another. This builds trust and allows new students to adapt quickly into the high school system. Ultimately, this program increases the relationship between students and I am proud to say that I contributed to our positive school spirit. I also was involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters which is designed to give younger students who are falling through the cracks a mentor and a confidant that can relate to their experiences. Every week I went over to the middle school and met up with my ‘Little’ to help him with certain academic struggles he was going through at the time. Together, we came up with goals and strategies for the future. I was also a volunteer in my school leadership program. Over the course of 2 years I recorded over 200 hours of volunteer work. I undertook many activities such as picking up garbage on the beach or simply organizing school events such as setting up for an assembly or going door to door for 10,000 Tonight which is an annual food drive.

            Being a leader in my school has led to my open-mindedness as being an active advocate of environmental sustainability. In grade 12 I took a social justice course and instead of an exam at the end, our class had to come up with individual projects that related to an issue in our world that we could present to the class. Using my open-minded leadership skills and passion for the environment, I developed my own environmental initiative by creating a series of video journals that are focused on environmental and ecological sustainability. In the journals I focus on a particular issue that is locally and globally relevant and change my life to show that doing the little things does make a difference to reducing our environmental and ecological footprint. In one of the journals I created, I specifically tackle one of my biggest concerns: the Midway Island Crisis. I explained how the North Pacific Albatross, the world’s largest sea bird, is dying because of the increasing amount of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre, the location where all the ocean currents meet. The birds are eating the plastic, mistaking it for squid, their natural food, and regurgitating it to their young. Environmental atrocities like these are widespread throughout the world and need to be addressed.

            Through inspiration and leadership I hope to bring a sense of passion to Sustainability 101. I want to demonstrate to people that I do care and that I want to learn and make a significant difference in my local and global community. I also hope to obtain new knowledge of sustainability and gain a sense of logic that I can use to support arguments that I believe in. I am just another person who walks and talks, but I am driven, and I will actively participate in every aspect of the course and ultimately, be active in teaching and learning sustainability for the rest of my life. 

Pre-Course: Personal Definition of Sustainability (PSP)

Sustainability: A local and global idea of being able to be accountable and make logical decisions that benefit the 'genuine' wealth of society but is economically and ecologically beneficial or neutral as well. It is a strategy to be dynamic in a world that has to accommodate the environment, social justice endeavors, the economy and spiritual well-being.

Creative PSP Assignment #1 - Sonnet

14 Lines

Iambic Pentameter (10 syllables/line)

Rhyme Scheme: ABAB-CDCD-EFEF-GG

In Response to Geoffrey West's: "The Surprising Math of Cities and Corporations"

To Think About It

We are addicted to technology,

With all its awesome gadgets and gizmos.

This isn't a meaningless elegy,

A plight to the journey of the cosmos.

If we increase man-made innovation,

What will happen to our society?

What will happen to our population?

We will be praying to our deity.

When our world plunges into a collapse,

No birds singing in the trees anymore.

Won't be any time to think or relapse,

Mindless destruction, we're shutting the door.

We only have one planet, only one,

Why would we develop it 'till it's gone?

My aim with this sonnet is to address not only globalization but urbanization and commercialism. In my eyes, our world is being exploited and damaged for the benefit of a selfish and careless human race. I'm not saying all humans are selfish and careless but I am saying that selfishness exists and that it is prominent in not only the world through environmental degradation but through social justice and equity issues. I'm trying to address how people take what they have for granted and see directly through individual commodities and "mundane" items in our everyday lives instead of realizing and appreciating the complex number of geographies that go into the production, transport and sale of that individual product. We need to see the value in what we consume, and start applying the concept of sustainability to each geographical area we may end up disturbing, corrupting, tainting or utilizing.

Honestly, I look at our world and see a lot of good, and that's what should stand out but in my eyes, our society highlights the disgraceful, demeaning and ugly events and happenings. Of course this important but this constant propaganda of negativity and cruelty only inspires fear, hatred and pity in people. Is this the way we want to live? Our lifestyle reflects who we are and I want to live an optimistic life where I take nothing for granted.