Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Week 10: Blog Post Resources
Hello Everyone:
Please find following the readings and other resources for your blog posts this week. Please remember that your posts this week are due Saturday the (31st), not Thursday, by noon.
Your are doing a fine job in this class: Congratulations and keep pushing forward!
Ron
Worldwatch, pp. 332-342
Benyus: Biomimicry’s Surprising Lessons from Nature’s Engineers at
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/janine_benyus_shares_nature_s_designs.html;
Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From at http://www.ted.com/playlists/20/where_do_ideas_come_from
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“There are organisms that have already solved the problems they had spent their careers trying to solve. Learning about the natural world is one thing, learning from the natural world that’s the switch. What they realized is that the answers are all around them they just needed to change their lens” 6:04 Janine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers.
ReplyDeleteI agree very strongly with this idea that we don’t have to mix every cocktail of element and spend 100s of years on an answer that has already been field tested by something in nature. That’s why conservation and biodiversity is so important. They are starting to cut down the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, for cow fields, when less than 1% of the animals and plant species has been sampled by scientist. We are destroying millions of years of evolution and if we lose the most biodiverse forest in the world then we may have lost the cure to HIV, cancer, the flu viruses, maybe even scary Ebola. More engineers and medical scientists need to look at what the natural world has created to combat what is unwanted and produced what is needed for survival in a lasting manner that allowed they to continue on for millenniums.
What problem do we face today do you think can be solved by nature?
I agree. There are plenty of solutions to be found within nature. Just think about that TED talk that Seaton from Politics of Sustainability showed us about that one mycologist. That mycologist found mushrooms in America's old growth forest that had a strong potency for curing modern illnesses than modern pharmaceuticals did. Protecting the earth's natural resources is definitely key for a sustainable future. As far as modern issues that we face today that can be solved via nature: the possibilities are endless. We find solutions for energy in nature via wind powered turbines, photovoltaic cells, and many more. There are natural medicines in the environment. We need to look to nature to solve more of our problems for a sustainable future so we can work in harmony with the earth and not against it.
Delete
DeleteIn response to your question and on top of Janine Benyus’s TEDTalk, nature can solve a variety of both environmental and psychological problems. Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods, talks about nature-deficit disorder. More specifically, he mentions the increased levels of anti-depressant medication subscribed to children, even preschoolers. Due to their lack of outdoor play and increased time spent indoors on electronics, children feel emotionally less connected to their world around them. By simply going outside and enjoying spontaneous moments of play, nature can work to boost happiness and solve a growing problem of childhood depression and anxiety.
Andree, I agree with what you said. To answer your question, I must borrow a part of your example. With each day, the world population increases. One of the largest problems that accompanies this is food supplies for the future. The growing practices we use today may not be able to feed everyone in 30 years. Just like the Amazon rain forest, a field of corn has great diversity. Each plant can be different from its neighbor and implementation of GMO species diminishes the need for these natural crops, eliminating diversity on a large scale. By looking at the Amazon, we see that nature, left untouched, can sustain itself and flourish without our intervention and replacement of these species. Instead of trying to take it for our use, we need to learn from nature to sustain ourselves in the future.
DeleteAfter doing my book report on Last Child in the Woods, I strongly believe we can fix a vast array of physical, emotional, and spiritual problems through a connection to nature. We can gain so, so much from our environment. Getting a better understanding of our earth gives us a better understanding of ourselves and our systems, leading to an increased sense of belonging that is vital to human dignity. By gaining more respect for nature, we would be more likely produce and exist in harmony with our environment in general in the decades to come. In order to solve the problems we face in the environment, it is obvious that we need to look to nature. As mentioned in the Janine Benyus TED Talk, engineers should have more experience in nature to be able to fix problems in a clever and sustainable way.
Delete"Since 1960 Cuba has been committed to maintaining a high level of social services, devoting more of its energy resources to human development or social capital..."
ReplyDelete(WorldWatch p. 338)
Also mentioned in WorldWatch, Cuba has 6.4 doctors per 1000 people (as compared to the US's 2.67 per 1000 people) and has free education. How do you think this investment in social capital has affected the Cuban population's human dignity?
I think that Cuba's improvements in medical care and educational programs would greatly strengthen the population's humanity dignity, although for some people, missing out on material goods might skew their sense of well being. Having easy and reliable access to health care would definitely help the society feel secure physically. Plus knowing that help is always available if they need it would increase people's level of trust in their community. Free education also greatly builds up human dignity because the more knowledge that people are able to learn, the more freedom and possibilities they feel will be achievable. Though such improvements in Cuba are admirable and help to build up human dignity, I think that the minds of the country's population might witness media from consumer society's, like the U.S., and feel financially inferior. The realization that they lack common goods, even if they aren't a necessity, could distort the meaning of what living a good life actually entails. To fix this, developed countries need to stop emphasizing the disposable, temporary elements of life, and lead by example of aspiring to live an environmentally and spiritually healthy life. In this sense, we could take a page from Cuba's book and find out the things that actually make people, and the Earth, happy.
DeleteI think the situation in Cuba is a good example of what happens when a nation invests in human capital versus feeling the need to seek economic growth. The result is a system that raises the human dignity of its people at a basic level. Although, many Americans would point to their lack of consumption of unnecessary goods as a lack of freedom and therefore a lack of human dignity. It's possible that as the effects of climate change get worse, that we will have to learn to live with less and settle for better healthcare and education. The US can't continue to consume the amount of energy it does, without changing its source or reducing our consumption.
DeleteAs someone who is Cuban-American I think you are viewing the facts in a skewed manner. I don’t doubt the facts of Cuba having more doctors because my mother was a Urologist, my uncle an orthopedic doctor, and my two cousins were studying to become physicians as well. But despite how well off my family supposedly sounds they were suffering just as much as other families with menial or no jobs and that’s because under Cuba’s communist regime it doesn’t matter what type of job you have, unless you work for the government itself, it’s very hard to support a standard of living. As for education, what’s the point of “free education” when all it does is teach you grossly false facts about the history of the regime and at a young age force you to live apart from your family to live in school dormitories because they want you farm as free laborers. Overall, the point is that Cuba should not be an indicator of human dignity. (If my information is slightly wrong please excuse me I’m saying this not out of personal experience since I left at a young age, but from what my family has told me about their lives there).
Delete" The consumption of common consumer personal goods
ReplyDeleteis very limited. Yet Cubans don’t need to fear cancelled medical insurance.
They know their children will be educated without being saddled with student
loans. Cubans are not weighed down with enormous debts. They know
they will not go hungry or homeless." (WorldWatch, Page 342)
After facing the devastating power blackouts, fuel shortages, poor transportation systems,failing agricultural methods, and increased hurricane activity due to climate change, Cuba implemented many energy saving and educational programs. To improve energy efficiency, the government distributed fluorescent light bulbs to homes and businesses, as well as replaced inefficient appliances. Along with increasing renewable energy sources, Cuba made improvements in its medical care, education, and agriculture systems. The book talks about "The Cuban Paradigm", which regards Cuba as a country that acts independently from consumer society. Although it is a materially poor country, Cuba enjoys secure life benefits as well as low environmental burdens. Can the United States learn from Cuba's story or is our consumer-based society too entrenched to make such changes for the sake of the environment?
Hello,
DeleteWhile I believe that the United States can learn from Cuba's story, I find it difficult to visualize our consumer-based society collectively lowering its standard of living to that degree. In our country, most of what Cuba has improved upon is what we desperately need to work on. In order for us to live similarly we will need to create more programs to alleviate environmental problems and even more educational programs about these issues. The fact that Cuba is materially poor but overall pretty secure and happy with their living conditions does not surprise me. Afterall, money does cannot buy happiness and acting altruistically with the benefit of society and the environment in mind is much more rewarding. One small step in becoming similar to Cuba is consuming only what is necessary to live sustainably.
I think this quote is an excellent example of what can happen when a government is devoted to its citizens rather than big businesses. Other examples of such policies are seen throughout Western Europe as well, where even they have material options. These countries exemplify a balance between Cuba's commitment to the important factors such as education and healthcare and the US's obsession with materialism. In other words, it is possible to have both materialism and government subsidized education and health. So, to answer the question, yes, I adamantly believe that the US needs to re-prioritze and place a greater emphasis on boosting the dignity of its citizens through education and healthcare. In doing so, I adamantly believe that the US can return to its place as one of the top nations-a statement every presidential candidate has made thus far in the debates.
DeleteI believe that our country would be better off without a consumption culture; however, I don’t think that eradicating such a deeply entrenched mindset will happen in the near future. Despite this, there are steps that our government and we as individuals can take in order to reduce our environmental footprint and increase human dignity. I think that the Affordable Care Act, which provides health insurance to every American, is a step in the right direction. Universal post-secondary education would set our students up for success in the increasingly competitive job market. Environmental initiatives should provide regulation and incentives to businesses and households to operate at a certain level of efficiency to minimize fossil fuel consumption.
Delete
ReplyDelete“Cuba developed agricultural techniques to deal with the lack of chemical inputs and limited fuel, electricity, and machinery. These included organic fertilizers, animal traction (oxen), mixed cropping, and biological pest control. The development of urban gardens and farms yielded a major increase in domestic fruit and vegetable production.”
(Worldwatch 334)
Over the years, Cuba has proved that sustainable agriculture can produce enough to feed its country. These practices are applied to both large-scale and small-scale, or domestic, food production. While Cuba does not have the resources or technologies to cultivate crops like the United States does, I do not doubt that this humble way of life increases human dignity. In what ways do you think that the Cubans experience increased dignity from sustainable practices, and do you believe that it improves the overall happiness of the country? How does America compare?
Cubans most likely have much more food dignity, they don’t have to wonder if their food has toxins or were picked by poorly paid workers in slave conditions because they have or know the person who has grown it. Americans comparably have little to no food dignity, we don’t know where our food comes from, how it was grown, or who picked it. Also Cubans are more self-sufficient and if any disaster was to happen, they would be much better off compared to Americans. In terms of sustainability Cubans could use their lands and water longer than we could because they pollute it less.
DeleteDear Caroline,
DeleteAs a fellow Cuban I can completely tell you that these sustainable practices do not in fact make the Cuban people happier. We have to undergo harsh and uncomfortable situations daily, and we have no choice as to if we choose to become part of it or not. Even though Cuba has techniques that have provided the population with a steady – yet unevenly managed – produce, the government and other happenings of the daily life make it all worthless. I think America is not doing great either, but is better for the people to be able to choose to live sustainably, than for people to be forced to follow the government’s instructions.
Steven Johnson closed his discussion with, “Chance favors the connected mind" (Where do ideas come from?). I find a lot of truth in his claim that revolutionary ideas do not come from a single epiphany. Instead, they come from a gradual incubation and slowly fade into view until a group of people can fully believe in the idea. Johnson focuses much of his TEDTalk towards the necessity of connecting people’s thoughts through the representation of a coffee house. Similar to Richard Louv’s value of social capital being vital in a healthy society in Last Child in the Woods, both speakers recognize the benefits of blending our mental networks through first blending our physical networks. As a result, we arrive at an idea that is larger than ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Johnson’s claim that the most impactful ideas do not come from a single thought. Development of one’s ideas proves crucial in the quest to present and put into effect a truly complex and brilliant idea. Gaining followers or believers in one’s idea, however, proves a different challenge than generating the idea itself. Human beings do not show a clear trend for they at times act skeptically and in other instances believe in ideas with little to no evidence. Until a widespread group of people believe and support an idea, such as the importance of a sustainable lifestyle, it will remain difficult to render this concept accepted by the general public. I believe this also ties into the topic of human dignity because human beings have the right to think freely, believe what they want, and refuse to put their faith in the unknown. In order to help an idea become widely accepted and to “blend our physical networks” with our mental networks, we must make sure that human dignity is being respected.
DeleteI absolutely believe Johnson's quote in this instance to be true. Although great ideas may come from chance, the best ideas come from working cohesively with others. Johnson also says that as humans, we come up with innovations by stitching ideas of others together. To be an innovative player in the game of life, one that has the power to make change, we need others. In class we have recognized the importance of teamwork through all the group projects and papers we write. I think it's important that we work with one another so we can discuss important matters not only effecting our lives at UF, but those that we've learned through lectures, class, and our readings. We are the generation that has power to make change in this world but we can not do it alone. Bringing it back to one of the first lectures in which we discussed the importance of the Fresnel lens, the sum of a whole is only as important and effective as all of it's inner-working parts.
Delete“More significant in the long term is that such resistance may even contribute to shifting the center of public debate more toward the positions of environmentalists.” (World Watch 315)
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me the most about this quote is the idea of shifting the focus of current public debate. Although environmental issues are talked about on the news or in schools, few actually take the next step to remedy the vast issues we are encountering within the sector of sustainability. Being environmentally friendly is not yet seen as a “trendy” thing to do, something that would help the cause greatly. The more that living sustainably is accepted as normal and good within the public sector, the more research and improvement it will garner. Thus, we must resist so-called normalcy and forge our own path so to shift the center of public debate so that it focuses on sustainability in a positive light. By changing the public’s mentality, the environmental problems we are currently facing will be more easily solved. What do you think is the best way to resist anti-environmental schools of thought and change the subject of the public debate?
"Oftentimes, when people shared the mistakes they were having, the error, the noise, they were discussing in that environment, that I've started calling the 'liquid State', where you have lots of different eyes, ideas that are together, different backgrounds and different interests jostling with each other, bouncing off each other. That environment is what leads to innovation" (8:50 Steven Johnson, Ted Talk- Where Do Ideas Come From)
ReplyDeleteSteven Johnson's talk revolves around an undeniable truth; some of the best ideas come from being around others. Each person has their own different way of thinking and can each bring something new to the table. Much can be accomplished when a group of people can work together, effectively doing much more than what a person could do alone.
I completely agree with your deductions. This is exemplified in our classroom, when we work together in groups of ten or twenty to complete project and papers. No one person could create a presentation or paper that showed his or her comprehension and understanding of sustainability better than that of the group. From the day we find a job in the real world, we will be tasked with the job of solving various types of problems. One singular person, due to their singular perspective on the ideal solution, will solve very few problems holistically and sustainably. Other minds are needed to explore ideas and find solutions that will best suit the problem, the employer, the client, and the environment.
DeleteI agree with your notion. Some people believe that they will always get then most/best work done individually. Although this may be right in some events, overall, working in a group will consistently allow the members to make better decisions since there are different opinions that are said. This notion is especially valuable in college. Study groups as well as partnership can allow the students to study more efficiently, as well as test each other in the material they're studying, to contribute to ideas of what may be on the next exam, etc. Most college classes make group work a requirement so that the students will learn to work in a group setting in their future career (which is, after all, most careers in the workforce).
Delete"Learning about the natural worlds one thing, learning from the natural world, that's the switch. That's the profound switch." -Janine Benyus, Biomimicry's Surprising Lessons from Nature's Engineers (6:08)
ReplyDeleteThis quote directly relates to Seaton Terrant's lecture on the politics of sustainability. He repeatedly said that we know quite a bit about nature and our surrounding environment, but very little about how to live off of and learn from the environment. He stressed that we would be able to live a much more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle if we knew simple things such as climbing a tree and making our own tools and toys. Learning how to make some natural remedies or learning how to garden could cause our relationship to the environment to grow tremendously, which causes our human dignity to grow as well.
While Benyus's lecture was much more scientific than Terrant's lecture, they have the same idea behind them, learning from our environment and learning to live sustainably with it is the key to human dignity as a whole.
Do you think one of the two lecturers mentioned has a stronger argument as to why we should learn from our environment? Does science make Benyus's argument stronger? Should we need all of that scientific evidence to finally listen to someone telling us to become closer with our environment?
There is a complete difference between learning about the natural world and learning from the natural world. Both are beneficial, however learning from the natural world offers more to us. The natural world increases our imagination therefore increasing our creativity, which the United States people is known for. The natural world gives us a more moral mind set rather than the new societal way of putting ourselves above nature and animals. Relating to nature pushes us to protect nature. If we continue pushing nature out and staying indoors, nature will be gone before we know it. Human population pressures will reduce nature significantly and it will negatively impact us.
DeleteI think science is the most credible way to back up a statement or idea. Terrant gave a great lecture about how we can live sustainable and how we can learn to use these practices in our everyday life. It would be cool to see more people trying to learn how to live off the land they have and how sustainable practices can be improved. When people believe that a problem is going on, they want to see the problem and make sure its a problem to their own mind before just listening to anyone. Reporters can just say, "There is a drought in California" and we will believe that there is a drought while never seeing or experiencing the facts for ourselves. So credible sources are key when talking about the environment and what we should do about it.
DeleteI like this quote very much and find it insightful. I think that nature has so much to offer that we, as a society, are not taking full advantage of. By going deeper into nature and discovering new things about the natural environment and animals living there, we will reveal more truths about ourselves and Earth as a whole. Nature is a place that people can go to receive a therapeutic type relief and get their mind off things that may be bothering the individual. In nature there is nothing to worry about. We can learn much from nature, as it has an endless amount of lessons it can offer to us.
Delete"While knowledge about nature is vital, passion is the long-distance fuel for the struggle to save what is left of our natural heritage."
ReplyDeleteLost Child in the Woods p.158
This quote reveals a striking realization of our pursuit to save our natural resources. However, some people do not have a true passion to save the earth but still want to contribute to preservation. Do we truly need passion in order to do a service to our planet (since every human should contribute to this)?
Knowing is indeed half the battle, but I think it's better than just plain ignorance. The few who are passionate enough will be the ones that will guide us in achieving the goal of saving the Earth. The people who have the knowledge but not the passion is still more useful than those who don't because they are able to spread this knowledge onto others who ARE passionate about this subject. This way, they are contributing to our efforts by inspiring others through the power of conversation. The knowers don't have to directly contribute, even though they should. If they can't, we can just hope that they will indirectly help to this global cause.
DeleteI definitely think that passion is a key element to making a difference. If you teach people about the harm that is done to the environment, they will respond with wanting to do something about it (usually), but this will fade because they aren't necessarily actively thinking about it. The problem is out of sight, so it is out of mind. But when people are passionate about something, it is going to motivate them more and on a long term basis, which enables real change to happen.Everyone can contribute in some way, and that does not require passion, but to make a long term and sustained impact I think passion is an important factor.
DeleteSophie,
DeleteI think we do truly need passion in order to do a service to our planet. Most people, even if they aren’t big on the environment, do want to help in any way they can but usually are too caught up in their own lives to change or do anything about it. It takes people with passion, people with the ability to show how truly amazing this planet is and how we are ruining the greatest give humans have ever received. Passionate people initiate the change and pave the way for others who are less enthusiastic to join them. The civil rights movement was driven by passionate people, and without it, the chances of that many people rallying behind a single cause is slim. Of course passion is not necessarily the answer to our problem, but I really do think it is a crucial ingredient.
Along with everyone else who replied to you, I also agree that passion is a vital element or recipe in order to create an impact on our environment and society. Having knowledge is extremely crucial as well; however, if we want to create a more sustainable impact, we need to have passion that drives us push farther and deeper into our aspirations. Creating a sustainable impact is surely a long term process, and I believe that passion will reorient people during that long term process (to help reorient why they are doing what they are doing if we are being specific). It is easy for us to lose the willpower or interest if we are doing it simply based on knowledge, but passion allows us to create a much more meaningful and even a more sustainable result.
DeleteSophie,
DeleteThank you for sharing as you bring up an interesting point. I have been to several leadership camps throughout the course of my life and without fail, at every one, I am asked the question "What is the most important characteristic of a leader?" Each time I answer this question with the word passion. Passion encapsulates nearly all other characteristics of a leader or someone who is successful in creating change. If you are passionate it is likely you are also trustworthy, motivated to do work yourself, and inspiring to others. So with this, I believe that passion is necessary in order to create positive change in the world's environment, but not all people necessarily have to have it. In order to do a service to our planet we need a core group of passionate leaders to motivate others to make change themselves.
Yes, passion, love, care, whichever name you choose, is an inexplicable power that can dismantle the unnatural hierarchies (man over women, white over non-whites, US citizen over non-US citizens, people over Earth) that corrupt and misguided institutions throughout history have cemented as natural hierarchies.
DeleteLove is shown to alter the framework of the capitalist, meritocracy which rewards merit, but many cannot show their merit, because they have been dispirited since birth.
Will passion be a service to society? Yes. Will it have tangible effects? Yes. Will passion envelope the world immediately? No. Too much hate, harm, and hell has been inflicted on the plants, animals, and humans of this world to have the happy sunshine dreams sprout like a spring flower in May.
"The effects of climate change will likely include a rise in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. The biggest threats to Caribbean island nations like Cuba are hurricanes, droughts, heavy rainfall, and a rise in sea level." (WolrdWatch pg 336)
ReplyDeleteDue to our close proximity to Cuba, we should be concerned about this as well. The recent Hurricane Patricia caused hysteria in Mexico, as it was the most intense cyclone to have ever develop on this side of the globe. We got VERY lucky in how there were no official deaths caused directly by the storm, as the mountainous terrain of Mexico quickly dissipated it. However, there's no telling how lucky we will be next time. More intense storms can develop, and it won't be only Mexico that will be taking another major storm head on. Climate change will only make these storms more intense, and will lead to greater damages. It's very frustrating how there's still people that deny that climate change is very much a thing, and will do nothing to help us prevent its malicious effects.
Wei Kang,
DeleteI think you bring up a great point in saying that although these storms are targeting the Caribbean we need to be aware that we are at danger as well. This realization is one that not a lot of people take into consideration and I believe that if more people came to this realization more initiative would be taken toward solving the problem of sustainability. Solving this problem is imperative if we wish to continue living in the same manner as we currently do. In order to convince the skeptics that climate change is a very real problem we first need to collect evidence that it is happening and market this evidence in a manner that doesn’t seem forceful but simply educational. No one wants to hear that they are wrong, we need to approach the problem in a gracious manner and simply try to educate the “skeptics”. If we can do this more people will begin trying to solve this problem.
I completely agree Wei. In today's society I believe that sometimes the only way people will come to their senses about issues such as the environment is if they are faced with a true disaster. That is what many people whom I have spoken to about environmental issues always tell me: only when we reach the point of no return are we truly going to realize what we have done to the earth. People NEED to become more educated and understand that this is going to keep happening, and progressively get worse, if something isn't done to fix it. I believe that hard-core evidence needs to be shared to the public as to the causes of these natural disasters so that they can truly see why they are happening. At this point most people probably think it's just a freak of nature. We must be the ones to also educate people when it comes to these issues and make them more aware of what is truly happening to our world.
Delete"A lot of important ideas have very long incubation periods." (Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From. 9:28)
ReplyDeleteThis quote points out an undeniable truth. Many fostered ideas do not come to someone over night. It takes a period of trial and error, discussing with cohorts, and changes in work ethic. I think in relation to servicing and protecting our planet some very important ideas may be in the incubation period at this day and age. Yet, I also see the need to continue manifesting these thoughts and ideas due to the fact it seems we may be in a time crunch. What do you think we can do as students to begin coming up with our own ideas to attack these global crises? Have you begun to come up with any of your own ideas when it comes to holistic sustainability and what you can do as a human in relations to protecting the planet?
I'm glad that you related this back to us, the students given that we are the future in every sense of the word. I think the best thing that students can do is believe in the impossible. Think on a global scale and don't allow your brain to be boxed in to traditional ways of thinking and problem solving. I truly believe that if there is a will there is a way, and a lot of the innovation from the future will come from this mindset. My idea is simply bridging the gap between the corporate world and the environment. Business's are the primary users of resources and they transform those resources into usable products however their methods are often crude, and harmful to the environment. If we can't change the corporate mindset then our future isn't looking too bright.
DeleteWhen watching this TEDtalk I was inspired by his truthfulness in exposing the creativity and invention process for what it is, it truly is a network of ideas and thoughts as opposed to a singular idea. I love how Johnson was able to capture the importance of collaboration and teamwork in creating these "liquid networks" and forming ideas. I agree that many people are continuing to overuse and over consume because they are just waiting from someone to have their "eureka moment" and discover the new solution to one of the many environmental problems we are currently facing. This kind of mindset discourages collaboration and problem solving and therefore people should look to their own minds and those of their peers to find a solution to small problems on their own and work towards a more holistically sustainable life.
Delete"He's found a way to take CO2 and make it into polycarbonates, biodegradable plastics out of CO2" Janine Benyus Ted Talks 13:36 - 13:41
ReplyDeleteOut of the things that Janine listed off, I found this to have the largest potential to truly change the world. I have gotten into discussions with friends about the fact that oil is used in plastics which are a part of an unbelievable amount of products so what happens when it is no longer accessible? Well this sort of provided an answer that none of us ever considered but it makes so much sense! So the questions that this brought to mind include: Could this be the answer to ending the less thought about half of our addiction to oil? Could this ever be efficient enough to produce on the massive scale that we would need and at the rate that we need? What would be the environmental impact if this became the primary production method for plastics?
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ReplyDelete“The Cuban Electricity Saving Program and the Energy Saving program of the ministry of Education were launched in 1998 to promote energy education.” (World Watch, p. 335) If smaller countries like Cuba can start education based on sustainable initiatives, why cant larger, more impactful countries like the US follow? Education is the first step towards a more sustainable future, however there are no initiatives taken towards that step in the US.
ReplyDelete"Life creates conditions conducive to life. It builds soil; it cleans air; it cleans water; it mixes the cocktail of gases that you and I need to live." -Janine Benyus
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me as targeting the central theme of Janine's talk and also the central theme to sustainability. I think that it is important that as a population we work with nature to solve our problems as opposed to working against it. The earth is constantly working to sustain us and give every species life and in order to harbor those efforts and continue sustaining ours and other organism's lives, we must in return give the earth the room to grow. The ideas presented in this TEDtalk and summarized by this quote are important ideas to consider when problem solving and trying to create a solution.
"...allow those hunches to connect with other people's hunches..." (Steven Johnson, Where do ideas come from? 11:40)
ReplyDeleteI think this idea in particular exhibits the need for and benefits of collaboration. It also better describes the saying "two heads are better than one." No great idea has been solved by one single mind, as exemplified by Johnson's reference to Darwin. Collaboration is imperative in innovation because it allows people with differing views to create an idea greater than the sum of each person's individual idea. Therefore, in the context of solving issues of sustainability, it is imperative that collaboration occur between governments and organizations, as no single entity can solve those problems, or other world problems single-handedly. It will take better collaboration and communication on the part of everyone.
Katie I completely agree! Steven Johnson also notes that we take ideas and “we stitch them together into more forms and create something new, and that’s really where innovation actually happens” (6:49). Yet despite this it does not happen as much today due to the lack of a liquid network to facilitate conversations. In aims of a sustainable world this liquid network could provide a magnitude of solutions to remedy our issues. Essentially all facets of sustainability are connected through human dignity, thus collaboration of specialists from various departments would have a greater change of finding solutions than they would just on their own. We need to work to encourage this type of collaboration.
DeleteKatie, I very much agree with your statements here. The characteristic that defines human nature is being able to come together and collaborate on a collective goal. This is extremely important in context of holistic sustainability. We may only see changes and progressions by working together; a sustainable world cannot be achieved by an individual. If everyone could come together and collectively work towards solving these crucial issues, we may indeed save the planet. This can only happen through education. If we may instill this belief in everyone, we will progress. Not only do we need to work as one, but we also need to think as one.
Delete"The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s was not the positive turning point some thought it would be; instead it marked the start of new crises. Worldwide inequity is at record levels. Military spending is at the highest level in modern history. Fossil fuel resources have become more limited, threatening economic hardship, at the same time that their emissions are causing dangerous climate change." This quote is very important in the history of the world. We live in the most modern times where the most resources are being used and the most items are being desired leading to corporations dominating our economy. We need to figure out how start a trend away from trying to stand up to other countries and instead show other countries how to become sustainable not how to become a war superpower.
ReplyDelete"The effects of climate change will likely include a rise in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. The biggest threats to Caribbean island nations like Cuba are hurricanes, droughts, heavy rainfall, and a rise in sea level." (WolrdWatch pg 336)
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because so often when people think about climate change they just think of it in terms of "global warming", when the reality is that it causes different types of extreme weather besides just heat. It is also important to recognize our role in this and also our ability to attempt to combat it. How can we improve peoples awareness about the reality of climate change as well as communicate the importance of taking steps to prevent future damage?
I thought that this quote was very interesting because it highlighted the importance of considering the impacts of climate change in terms of extreme weather events. As you mentioned, when people consider climate change they typically think of global warming. I think that by mentioning the other consequences of climate change that are more physical and are more of an imminent threat to people, they will be more willing to do something about it. Education is a major way that we could improve people's awareness about the reality of climate change because if this is instilled in people from a young age, they are more likely to act on it when they are older. Also, I think that misconceptions about climate change should be cleared up and presented to the public because they cannot take any steps to prevent future damages if they are unaware of the problems or the solution. Although the challenge with this would be finding a mechanism to do this because it is hard to reach everyone.
DeleteSteven Johnson notes that we take ideas and “we stitch them together into more forms and create something new, and that’s really where innovation actually happens” (6:49). Yet despite this it does not happen as much today due to the lack of a liquid network to facilitate conversations. In aims of a sustainable world this liquid network could provide a magnitude of solutions to remedy our issues. Essentially all facets of sustainability are connected through human dignity, thus collaboration of specialists from various departments would have a greater change of finding solutions than they would just on their own. We need to work to encourage this type of collaboration.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI absolutely agree with you. Collaborating different views and perspectives will create solutions that will not only focus on fixing one problem but perhaps many problems. Rather than coming up with multiple one-way tracks to all of the issues at hand, we could develop one effective solution that covers a multitude of issues. By combining people of different expertise, we would create a giant network of brilliant minds working to attack problems from every imaginable angle. The current idea of specializing in a certain area of study and never leaving that area leads to a narrow minded society unable to collectively think outside of the box. Hopefully, with sustainability studies growing, this beautiful idea of attacking problems holistically will the shift in thinking for our generation.
“Chaotic environment is where ideas often come together.” (Johnson: Where good ideas come from. 7:24)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really resonated with me because I tend to notice that some of my best ideas are developed when in a chaotic environment. Chaotic in the sense that ideas are bouncing off a group of people, the atmosphere is casual, and there is a feeling of creativity. I believe that Johnson makes a good point when he later explains how individuals “eureka” moments often happen in groups not in isolation. I personally think that I have better ideas when working in a group. My question is which environmental setting do you believe sparks those “eureka” moments? Individual or group?
This quote also resonated with me. I too find my greatest ideas are generated in a relatively more chaotic environment. I would definitely say that I benefit from group work while others prefer a more isolated environment. I believe this attests to the fact that everybody is different and everyone’s brain works better when they are in their ideal settings. That being said, I believe that it is important to incorporate these more chaotic or casual environments into the academic setting from as early as grade school. I believe more emphasis should be placed upon collaborative effort where a group is working towards a goal that is greater than the sum of its parts. Teachers and professors should make it a point to balance out the traditional classroom setting with different environments, such as group work, where other students may thrive more than they would in a classroom.
DeleteI would also agree that more of my creative ideas are generated in a chaotic environment. Sometimes this chaotic environment could be the result of deadline pressure, other times group collaboration, along with additional combinations and situational alternatives. The advantage of a group setting in sparking 'eureka' moments is that a conglomeration of ideas and thoughts can piece together the best possible solution for any given situation. Working together definitely encourages creativity, and spurs us to think outside the box. This is important with so many classes being rigorously structured today, that some students are no longer comfortable brainstorming without a specific layout to guide their discussion. Group environments, while occasionally chaotic, encourage cooperation, collaboration, and creativity, which I believe are key elements to coming up with better concepts.
DeleteSo I think chaos inspires greatness. We want to save the world but we don't take initiative until it gets to a point of no return. Look at humans now, China's air pollution was so bad that kids couldn't go to school without mask. Houses are being flooded away by rising sea levels from melting ice glaciers but what are we doing? Politicians are arguing if this is because of global warming and if global warming is even a thing. Normal humans are continuing to do what they do leaving huge footprints. But truly inspired humans are panicking trying to find out how to end it all. The world is chaotic and people are getting inspired, so soon maybe good ideas will come. Chaos inspires excellence, chaos makes us work.
Delete“...the book was about mainly research in biomimicry and what’s happened since then is architects, designers, engineers—the people who make our world—have started to call and say, we want a biologist to sit at the design table, to help us, in real time, become inspired. Or- and this is the fun part for me—we want you to take us out into the natural world. We’ll come with the design challenge and we find the champion adapters in the real world, who might inspire us.” (Janine Benyus, 2:12)
ReplyDeleteThis TED talk was hugely inspiring because it clearly demonstrated just how amazing the natural world is and how us humans, who credit ourselves with being the smartest, most advanced species, actually pale in comparison to the acumen of nature’s organisms. There’s a lot of lessons to learn in this video: first, is the importance of integration, not only of specializations, such as biologists helping engineers, but of the man–made world with the natural. We need to find a way to incorporate the solutions life has given to fix our problems, if we don’t then we’re just wasting time and energy reinventing the wheel. Second, is the importance of conserving the environment, because if we don’t then not only are we endangering future progeny, but we’ll lose thousands of organism who could’ve revealed to the cure of cancer but now can’t because their extinct.
"To encourage conservation, a new electricity tariff was introduced that allows people using less than 100 kilo- watt-hours (kWh) per month to continue paying the very low rate. Above that, for every increase of 50 kWh per month, the tariff goes up.21" (WorldWatch p 336)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote about Cuba to be very interesting. It shows that when people have an incentive to do something, such as in this case for monetary reasons, then they will respond positively. If one knows that they will have to pay more for using more electricity, then the simple solution would be to use less electricity. As time progresses on and one sees that continually more money is being saved by using less electricity, then this will just become a habit. Maybe it doesn't even have to be educating people in environmental matters as much as incentivizing things in their daily lives and making them more appealing, such as what Jacob does with We Are Neutral. Do you think, that in Cuba's case, people eventually became more environmentally aware because of their government's choices to enact this tariff, or did it just result in them saving money but not really knowing why? Also, is this method of using government to incentivize energy-saving efficient? Why or why not?
GRU recently switched from a man-tiered pricing system to sell their electricity to a two-tiered one. They set the boundary between the two tiers at the average electricity use for their customers. All energy used below this average value is sold at a rate with little to no profit for GRU, while all electricity used above the average is priced highly. This scheme is used in the hopes of cutting electricity use. This is essentially a market mechanism that creates great efficiency.
DeleteThis idea of taxing use has been around for a long time and the US government has flirted with using this concept to regulate CO2 emissions. From an economic standpoint this is the easiest and the most efficient way to regulate industries. Economists love this plan but issues of equity and distribution come up.
First I would like to address your second question of whether or not, it is efficient for the government to incentivize energy saving policies. I believe that it is efficient because in a psychological sense, people will put more work into something if they know there is a reward. For me, I always like to see the benefits of my actions, and whether or not it is worth the extra effort to achieve something. To answer your first question, I believe that it was because of them saving money but not knowing why. I believe this because ultimately money is what people focus the majority of their attention to. Thus, when they started to save it they became attentive to the savings and tried to maintain there actions to keep saving.
Delete“ I think there’s a case to be made that we should spend at least as much time, if not more valuing the premise of connecting ideas, not just protecting them.” (Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From, 12:04)
ReplyDeleteIn college and other academic settings, there is always an emphasis on individual study and work when in fact, many of the greatest ideas ever had came from collaboration and connecting ideas with others. How can we turn these institutions into a more collaborative process rather than individual study while still giving credit to the individual for the work they have contributed?
A very good point, I think pride may get in the way of harboring new ideas, possibilities and improvements. There is no doubt that credit should be given where credit is due, however if the individual becomes too focused on their accomplishment, beliveing that it must remain unaltered and that it needs no improvement, then they leave no room for the development of new and improved ideas. These new and improved ideas are often made in a collaborative setting as many minds are often better than one. We should not focus so much on protecting an idea, although the idea may be given credit, and instead focus on allowing collaboration so that new possibilities and improvements on a subject are always possible.
Delete“There are organisms out there that have already solved the problems that they have spent their careers trying to solve. Learning about the natural world is one thing, learning from the natural world, now that’s the switch” Biomimicry 6:00min
ReplyDeleteThis quote stuck out to me because it should be how we view everything with nature; nature is something that we can learn from to solve a variety of our world’s problems extending far beyond technology. Although it is a good application, technology is not really going to be the answer to issues in sustainability. Nature provides everything we need to know about becoming more ecofriendly because nature is the definition of sustainable. What are some other examples, besides technology and the others discussed in the talk, of how learning from nature can solve the problem at hand? Do you think that we know enough about nature to really learn from it yet?
I really liked this quote as well. There is so much we have yet to learn from the natural world. I don't think we focus enough of our time and energy on learning from nature because we focus so much on technology. One of my favorite and most simple, yet interesting solutions that she presented was the power of shape. If we simply learned from the fins of whales and added the same shape to airplane wings we could make it at least 30 percent more efficient. I agree that if we utilized these techniques from nature that we will be able to have a more sustainable way of living.
Delete"Chance favors the connected mind." Where good ideas come from 17:27
ReplyDeleteThis is the closing closing statement to Steve Johnson's TED talk that deals posits that big breakthroughs come about because of nurturing environments where tons of ideas can be explored and thrown around. Its an interesting idea that is very relevant today. Now that we can tune each other out and have created such great technology to ignore each, will this effect the dissemination of great ideas?
DeleteIn our present world of Facebook and smartphones it can be easy to drown out the action happing all around us. Rather than sharing our ideas over coffee or tea, our thoughts have become limited to 140 characters through our obsession with social media. We call these efforts connected yet they leave us feeling empty and alone. Any effort at a genuine collaboration is halted by the brightness of our screens. In sustainability efforts especially, it is necessary to get our message across in the way we intend. Although we can communicate over social media, the beauty of an enriching conversation has been diluted as a result of today's technological dependence.
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DeleteThis quote resonated with me as well. Although technology has created an extreme disconnect in the context of local environment, it also has the potential to open an individual up to a magnitude of ideas that are spread throughout the world. It has expanded the concept of a human community from our immediate surroundings to an interconnected global network of ideas and thoughts from various regions of life. This enhances the diversity of ideas that can interact and mingle with one another, which leads to the formation of new ideas. The Internet, by definition, is the global system of interconnected computer networks. In relation, he describes a good idea not to be a miraculous flash of light, but a network of our ideas that form to create a new one. Here lies the potential in technology.
DeleteI do believe the rise of social media platforms will both slow and advance the spread of great ideas, When it comes to international conversations/communication there is not a "coffee Shop" (1:45 Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From) where people can still to liquefy and meld their ideas. So in this regard platforms of communication are instrumental to collaboration and thought. Yet at a more local scale I think individuals that box themselves into their research (or personal exploration of ideas) with independent research are hindering great ideas from taking place because they are not creating the physical "architecture"(12:00 Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From)in which new ideas can occur. Long story short; there are advantages and disadvantages to technology in the light of idea making.
Delete"Our ideas are cobbled together by what we have around." Where good ideas come from 6:45
ReplyDeleteI love this way of thinking; to build inventions and ideas our of materials a society can sustain. Just like they developed a neonatal incubator out of car parts, we can use this philosophy in our efforts towards a sustainable environment. If we build these ideas correctly we will see our connected minds grow into something beautiful. What efforts towards sustainability can we create that are possible for our culture to maintain?
I was also fascinated at how they built the incubator out of only car parts. To me this only stresses the importance of creativity during problem-solving. Working in a group only enhances that creativity, as different perspectives complement each other and ultimately build into one solution. This is why our education system cannot only stress STEM classes. If kids are not given the chance from a young age to develop their artistic and creative skills, then inventions like the incubator will stagnate. As a society we tend to devalue the importance of having such skills when compared to the ability to, for example, solve mathematical equations. Therefore I think an effort we can make toward sustainability is to start looking at these issues in a more creative way, because the answers will never be right in front of our face.
Delete"Everyone has the right to health protection and care. The state guarantees this right by providing free hospital and medical care by means of the installation of the rural medical service network, polyclinics, hospitals, preventive and specialized treatment centres, by providing free dental care and by the health publicity campaigns, health education, regular medical examinations, ..." (World Watch Institute, p. 338)
ReplyDeleteI think the issues of health and medical care definitely tie in to human dignity and the facets of sustainability. How does providing medical care to citizens improve a nation? Is there a good way to check on constitutional promises such as this one in Cuba to ensure that the government and other organizations are following through in order to implement their prescribed roles in this process?
Leni, I totally agree that health and medical care impact human dignity, which in turn affects sustainability. Without access to basic medical care, a citizen cannot be expected to greatly contribute to a society if he or she gets sick and requires attention. Humans must have the right to survive and be healthy - this is essential to human dignity and improving a nation. It's difficult to check on bureaucratic processes like implementing health care; however, I think the most effective way would be to act on a local level by sending experts and professionals to occasionally supervise government agencies and medical offices to make sure they are running properly.
Delete"Education in Cuba is free. The country ranks second in the world in the share of GDP allocated to education, at 5.5 percent." (Worldwatch, pg. 339)
ReplyDeleteCuba allocates a relatively large amount of its budget to giving its residents access to education. In general, how does access to an education contribute to an individual's dignity? How does this dignity, in relation to education, contribute to forming a more sustainable society?
DeleteMia,
I agree and also disagree with your statements about free education. I agree with the fact that, yes, it provides child from lower income families the chance to learn and be educated to move up high in society, yet where is the funding for the teachers, supplies, and other educational equipment coming from? Education is key to a society in order to improve the individuals overall human dignity but in that human dignity lies the economy and the economy relies on money in order to operate efficiently.
“Learning about the natural world is one thing; learning from the natural world, that’s the switch” (Benyus, 6:13)
ReplyDeleteThis quotation got me pondering over a lot about how our society works and how it evolved around the environment. Countless of individuals do not even consider the environment as a possible solution to an issue in our society; such as the engineers in the Galapagos Islands mentioned in the Ted Talk. The way animals break down materials or hunt in their natural habitat to how a tree provides both a home to countless creatures and oxygen to humans. We can learn new and innovated techniques to help our society become more sustainable and more aware of our surrounding environment if we take the time to learn from the world rather than just about.
I agree with you, Victoria. Our society has set up barriers between fields of knowledge. Those who are experts concerning aspects of the natural world do not know to get the information to those who are trying to solve societal problems. The people trying to solve societal problems have no idea that the answers are here, in nature, if they are only willing to look. It was really interesting to see how simple it was to find a solution to a problem once the group took the approach of learning from nature, instead of about nature. It truly and immediately made a difference and solved an issue that had been argued for a lifetime. We could make a big difference in problem solving by changing our approaches, and looking at what the world already has to offer in terms of solutions.
DeleteI completely agree with you. The Ted Talk we saw earlier in the semester about deforestation serves as another success story of what can happen if we change our perception of nature. We need to stop viewing nature as something to be dominated or manipulated to appease our needs. Nature is a teacher not just a resource provider.
DeleteThis also reminds me of the speaker who came in and talked about matriarchy in Africa. The speaker presented the idea that transitioning to a matriarchal society is the key to solving many of our environmental problems. The elephant society is matriarchal and has many social tendencies that seek to take care of their surroundings and future generations. We should learn from elephants and implement their social tendencies into our own society.
“But I think there’s a case to be made that we should spend at least as much time, if not more, valuing the premise of connecting ideas and not just protecting them” (Johnson 12:00).
ReplyDeleteI think this quote definitely summarizes a lot of the problems we have with holistic sustainability. Inventors and problem-solvers tend to have a capitalistic mindset when coming up with new ideas. As Johnson states, it is a misconception that all great ideas come from a technological breakthrough and both name recognition and money follows. However, great ideas develop slowly, as ideas are bounced off one another; this is similar to how scientists would converse for weeks about ideas in coffee shops during the Enlightenment. Therefore, if we are to create solutions for the facets surrounding holistic sustainability as a collective society, we need to build ideas off of each other, instead of just patenting a new technology for capital. Sustainability is an interdisciplinary field, and requires people from all backgrounds to work together as one.
This is an extremely powerful quote! Having ideas is one thing, but to connect them with others with different perspectives and interpretations is a completely different story. The idea of holistic sustainability is that there are multiple facets, that there are so many areas or parts to it that, without the other, it cannot solve the problem on its own. I think that having ideas and, as Johnson says, projecting them can only allow for more ideas to develop, and stronger and more creative ones at that. Strength always comes in numbers and I believe that in order to solve the sustainability issues we are having in our world, we must be willing to listen to each other, as well as nature, in order to develop the most successful solutions possible.
Delete"They didn't know. This is not for lack of information; it's a lack of integration." Benyus 4:26
ReplyDeleteAlthough this quote is somewhat short, and seemingly simple, it, for me, represented the entirety of the talk provided by Benyus. It was so surprising to me that there were so many problems in the world that occur in nature and are so simply stopped. Learning from nature is something that we have to do if we truly want to leave the world a safe place for future generations,So, why haven't we already done so, if nature has all of the answers? Well, like Benyus said, we have the information, but not integration of thoughts and ideas. We have experts all over the world, but we cannot find a way to mesh the knowledge together to solve issues. How can we overcome the boundaries between fields of knowledge? The even bigger question is, how do we recognize the barriers, and know which ones should be integrated?
Hello Bridget! I feel that this quote is very valuable. Actually this idea is quite similar something I read from Lost Child in the Woods(book report book). That idea is that people are becoming scared to go outside and be creative and learn from Mother Earth. I think that people need to let go of their fear of working with others. We were put on this Earth together ,we must work together, and solve problems together. In order to fully utilize the resources our world has to offer we need to put or minds together to think of solutions the environment and people face everyday.
Delete“Ideas are cobbled together from whatever parts happen to be nearby. We take ideas from other people, from people we run into in the coffee shop and we stitch them together into new forms to create something new”(Steven Johnson, 6:45).
ReplyDeleteHello class! The TED talk “Where do Ideas Come From?” really explores the thought process we have been taught throughout the semester. Dr. Chandler plants a seed and our groups must make it flourish. It is our job to think creatively and innovatively to put the projects he gives us together. One member may pose a question or idea and the other member may feed off of that to further solve the problem, or figure out a more innovative way to complete the project. All in all, this quote is very important because it shows that great ideas stem from a culmination of different sources. Our society truly is a big community; we are creating new ideas together everyday. Does anyone else agree that ideas come from many different sources and environments that surround us?
P.S. Sorry this is late. I thought it was due at 12AM!
Abigail,
DeleteI agree with you completely. It is important that we take other people's ideas into account because they may have a valuable contribution to the world. Combining ideas from different sources leads to new, creative, innovations coming forth and this collective effort on the part of those who are passionate about the environment can lead to us making valuable strides in the sustainability field. Since sustainability is a holistic field, it is crucial that we have a multitude of sources for creative ideas because one's environment has a significant impact on one's way of thinking. Therefore, people in different environments can have quite different ideas- ideas that someone from somewhere else may have never been able to come up with.
Yes, of course! You picked one of my favorite quotes from this TED talk- I love this concept! When I hear this, I think of what happens when I am actively trying to come up with an idea, whether it be what to write my essay on or what to dress up as for a $3 burrito at Chipotle- I look around me. I search for inspiration on my desk, in my closet, and in photo albums on my computer. And when I'm in class (especially this class!) I love talking with my peers to come up with the best possible solution to a problem. I like the way you put it- we feed off of each other. And although ideas obviously can strike us at any moment when we are by ourselves (I do my best thinking on long drives), I think the best ideas are the ones that are tossed around, added to, tweaked a little, and the ones that are a product of multiple minds.
Delete"Here you have these guys who basically just thought they were following this hunch, this little passion that had developed, then they thought they were fighting the cold war, and then it turns out they're just helping somebody find a soy latte. This is how innovation happens. Chance favors the connected mind." (Steven Johnson, 17:10)
ReplyDeleteThis perfectly illustrates the importance of knowing how to brainstorm and work together. No wonder employers for engineers emphasize the importance of knowing how to collaborate. When you combine different views and perspectives, a beautiful machine is constructed that allows creativity and ideas to flow at a much faster rate than just one perspective. Dr. Chandler accentuates this important concept by allowing us to work in groups often. Many of my other classes don't require this. Do you think group projects should be a requirement for every course, and do you agree that it's one of the most important life skills to cultivate?
Abby,
DeleteI think that what Dr.Chandler is doing, making us work in groups is the best way to get different perspectives and actually end up learning more because you become informed about what other people though important but you missed. I think other classes should focus more on group work, however the problem aligns now with if the class is online, or if you meet during class or on a separate time outside of class. This could cause problems because, I know from experience, that online classes, it is hard to communicate and many individuals don’t do their part. Additionally, if it was a requirement to meet outside of class this could create problems because students have different schedules and its hard to find a good time for a group of people to meet. All in all, I think group thinking is an amazing concept to start incorporating into more classrooms; we just have to do it correctly.
My favorite moment from Janine Benyus’ Ted Talk is when she says “It’s not a lack of information, it’s a lack of integration.” This emphasizes how important it is to collaborate with experts from different fields. Many times experts are protective of their area of study and do not feel like there is anything to gain from connecting with people from seemingly unrelated fields. The example of the shells shows what happens when we choose to learn from nature instead of just learning about nature. Biologists are the voice of nature and including them in decision making in all professions can be extremely beneficial.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think some people are hesitant to incorporate different perspectives into their work?
How can we encourage professionals in all fields to look to nature for guidance not just for resources?
“The important thing for me is that these are solutions solved in context. And the context is the Earth -- the same context that we're trying to solve our problems in. So it's the conscious emulation of life's genius.” (6:05, Janine Benyus)
ReplyDeleteMany of the problems of the natural world are mimicked in our daily lives, so looking out to nature for sustainable solutions to these problems makes sense. Seeing how other organism solve the problems they face in the can help us to do the same. Many businesses and organizations are missing the crucial step of reaching out into the natural environment for information and techniques. What is an example of a natural system that we could learn from to improve our own system?
"Cuba has a very low per capita income, yet in the non-materialistic, quality of-life
ReplyDeletedomain, it excels." - Worldwatch institute, pg. 342
This short excerpt from the worldwatch is very important. Cuba is a great example of the fact that we can still enjoy our lives if we cut back on resource consumption. The people of Cuba are able to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives without the burning of fossil fuels, or the consumption of other Co2 emitting resources. Can the American people live a simpler life?
Hi Zack, it is a known fact in the field of Human Geography that simple lives promote happy lives. If your sole responsibilities in life are to sustain yourself, than there is no reason not to be happy so long as you are alive. In America and much of the Developed Western Civilizations, the presence of wealth and education greatly hinder these natural responsibilities. Because of this, wealth and education are preventing us from living simpler, happy lives because there is so much desire to be successful. Our culture has misconstrued the holistic purpose of living, which is being happy. Celebrities and other societal trends give us this impression that wealth and success drive happiness when in reality providing for yourself is the truest form of happiness.
Delete
ReplyDelete“Learning about the natural world is one thing; learning from the natural world -- that's the switch. That's the profound switch”.--- Janine Benyus: Bimoimicry’s Surprising Lessons from Nature’s Engineers. Janine Benyus brings up an important part of sustainability: learning to actually interact with the environment. Learning from a distance in a classroom, removed and detached from nature, will not give you a comprehensive understanding of nature like going out and experiencing nature for yourself would. This is the main issue in our society- the increased focus on testing and various examinations has taken away from physical experience. Children are spending less and less time outside and more time glued to a computer screen or playing on some sort of other electronic device. Until we learn to make the switch to living in tandem with the environment and increasing the amount of time we actually spend in nature, we will not be able to achieve true sustainability.
I agree with you on that. Personally, I know being out in nature is a part of who I've been and my most valuable experiences and lessons came from nature. For me, it's an almost spiritual interaction, it's a calming and meditative experience that clears my head and has let me get this far. Any chance I had, if I needed to just breath or think, I would go for a walk and comeback with a better understanding of things. It's also interesting how much you learn about the environment the more you're out there and pay attention to what goes on around you.
DeleteHali McKinley Lester:
DeleteJulia, I definitely agree with you about fostering meaningful interactions with nature. I remember when I was younger and my parents took us on camping trips, I used to moan and complain about not having technology or my friends for a week. However, as I look back now, I can’t thank my parents enough for making nature a part of my life because I feel like it helped me develop as a person in so many ways. Now, I realize how much I need nature in my life, and when I get stressed or lack motivation, spending time in nature rejuvenates and inspires me. Yet, many children are not this lucky, and they shouldn’t have to rely on their parents knowing to get them in nature. We undoubtedly need to get society to reprioritize the importance of nature. I was so disappointed when my elementary school cancelled the annual camp trip because so many children were exposed to nature through hikes, swimming in the lake, and discovering new plants, animals, and insects. You can’t learn about the intangible benefits of nature in a classroom; for people to be invested in sustainability, they must experience nature in a positive way.
"Laws were enacted to support, promote, and regularize the movement’s practices of ecological (organic) agriculture without stifling local initiative (Murphy and Morgan, 2013)."
ReplyDeleteThis comment was taken from the World Watch article titled "Cuba: Lessons from a Forced Decline." The comment was made after introducing ad hoc urban gardening movement recognized by Government in 1994. I think that promoting ecological laws is extremely beneficial in developing countries. Since education is often minimal in these regions, laws are the only suitable way to enforce appropriate utilization of ecosystem resources. My question is, why do developed nations enforce fewer restrictions on ecosystem laws? For example, there are no legal obligations that US citizens encounter that directly benefit the ecosystem. I think more laws would provide more security in those ecosystem resources.
"Life -- and this is the secret trick; this is the magic trick -- life creates conditions conducive to life." (Biomimicry's surprising lessons)
ReplyDeleteI feel like this is such an important take home message because it serves many purposes. Firstly, it contains the message that was said in the same video, that there are no "things in nature which are isolated from a system". This unity of nature is what makes life so stable, and ultimately can lead humanity into a more stable state with the future. Secondly, it reminds us that, as living things, have a responsibility to nature and making decisions conducive for life. This also made me think about the other TED talk about where ideas come from. Steven Johnson made a point that ideas start as congregations of bits and pieces of information and questions and that they come from a variety of places–in other words, when there is collaboration. This had me thinking about the Biomimicry talk because essentially, the engineers are collaborating with nature and building off of bits of information that's been in nature for much longer than we have been. Overall, our future and innovation will rely on the building upon ideas with each other and our natural world.
Hali McKinley Lester:
ReplyDelete“We like to think that our breakthrough ideas are like that brand-new, state-of-the-art $40,000 incubator, but more often than not, they’re cobbled together from whatever parts be enarby. We take ideas from other people, we learn from people we run into in the coffee shop and we stitch them together into new forms and we create something new” (Where do Good Ideas Come From 6:33-6:52).
I think this quote is really important in terms of sustainability because we can’t assume that people will create revolutionary technology to sustain our environment. Rather, we must work together to compile ideas from across disciplines. People bring different background knowledge to the table, so if we put together the brains of many people concerned about the environment, we will have a better chance of proposing sustainable solutions. Thus, when we work in groups in class, we are doing what Johnson suggests is essential for coming up with good ideas. How have you noticed how working with your group helps you come up with better ideas?
I think the most important thing when it comes to sustainability is the ability to think outside the box and offer creative, new solution. A major problem that comes from working with yourself is that you're forced to view things consistently from your own perspective. Aside from that, sustainability is a solution to an issue that affects not only the individual--but the group. By working with others in class, the skill of cooperation with others is increased and you allow other perspectives and outlooks to influence the way that you think and contribute ideas.That's a really helpful thing and allows better ideas to come into fruition!
DeleteI found that quote particularly refreshing.The transition to sustainability is certainly not a technological one, but rather one that is psychological, social and political. The thing that a lot of people don't seem to comprehend is that sustainability is parallel with community; the only way we're going to achieve any proper dynamic is to involve our communities in reaching the same goal. Decentralizing at the local level to have these kinds of "coffee shop talks" would allow the kind of creative out flow we need.
DeleteWhere Do Ideas Come From? By Steven Johnson. Time (4:25)
ReplyDelete“And it turns out, in fact, that the kind of network patterns of the outside world mimic a lot of the networks factors of the internal world of the human brain.”
This TED talk was very eye opening and interesting, in understanding how good ideas come about. Where does you think most people have their best ideas, do you agree that its with a group of people and brainstorming?
"Thus Cuba represents a paradox. It is a materially
ReplyDeletepoor country that has First World education, literacy, and health care. It is
rich in human development resources and low in environmental burdens,
but its standard of living, and therefore its fossil fuel use and CO2
emissions is very low. " (Worldwatch, 342) Cuba pulls from its lack of material resource use in order to reduce carbon emissions, how can some of these practices be implemented in the United States/how can we learn from the Cuban mindset towards sustainability?
"You have half an idea, somebody else has the other half; and if you're in the right environment, they turn into something larger than their parts." (Johnson 11:37) I thought this statement was sort of inspiring that two ideas can come together to great something greater than itself. This same approach is what fosters the need for collaboration and communication. If everyone with great ideas worked together to solve issues of sustainability, it would result in more productive solutions and innovations. The sense of teamwork and community is what we need to implement into all aspects of our society today in order for there to be sustainable living.
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DeletePerfectly said. I would love to see a "super group" of scientists go wild on our problems. Maybe they can take advice from Ron! I t funny because I am now seeing why we are put into these gigantic groups for projects. It's because everyone has their role and each person has something unique to contribute. Not only does it improve one’s dignity in the way that they feel a part of something bigger but also that they feel needed. This Ted talk was very different but in a way eye opening. It is funny because when most people think about out sustainability problems they assume a solution will just come out of air and that a miracle cure will save us all. Maybe if the top scientists would sit down for a couple cups of Pumpkin Spice Latte our problems would already be solved?
“Learning about the natural world is one thing; learning from the natural world -- that's the switch. That's the profound switch. What they realized was that the answers to their questions are everywhere; they just needed to change the lenses with which they saw the world. 3.8 billion years of field-testing.” (Benyus TED 6:05)
ReplyDeleteThis statement is absolutely eye- opening. I think that, in our struggle to solve the sustainability problems of the world, we can sometimes overlook the abundance of perfect answers around us, our natural world. The complexity of our world, and its ability to adapt and create the natural beauty that it is, is something that we as people looking to preserve it and to protect it should bring into the equation. Just as Janine Benyus says, every problem must be solved within context and as she says soon after, this “context is the Earth”. I think that we have a perfect example right in front of us, and that we should pay attention to its success so that we can form solutions that connect us to the natural world and work with it in order to bring the holistic and sustainable change we seek.
“After decades of energy shortages, and with the heightened danger from hurricanes, Cubans are aware of their vulnerability to both shortages and overuse of fossil fuels” (Worldwatch, Page 336)
ReplyDeleteI find this phrase to be really interesting and truthful. As a Cuban immigrant, I lived 12 years of my life on that country before coming here almost 6 years ago. My life there was based about the information contained on this phrase, we know we are vulnerable to overuse and shortages of fossil fuels. Living a life in which you must do up to the impossible to reduce your consumption, is hard and harsh, but at the same time CO2 emissions are reduced. Although this creates suffering to the people and makes the live more restrained lives, it does have a positive impact in our planet and thus in our dignity.
"We take ideas from other people, we learn from people we run into in the coffee shop and we stitch them together into new forms and we create something new” (Where Do Good Ideas Come From" - This quotes exemplifies that the way to come up with new ideas and fashion all different forms of solutions, is to be inspired by another person/organizations good ideas. In the context of holistic sustainability basing our ideas off other's is a way we can perfect and expand successful and sustainable ideas throughout the world. This process has been used throught history and can most easily be seen in the areas of medicine, technology and agriculture. THis principle of building upon one another's ideas can lead us to a very successful and globally interconnected network of greatness.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Many people argue that there are no more new ideas today, and everything is just revamped. To an extent this is true in the sense that everyone gets their ideas from hearing other ones. However, this is not to say that today’s pool of ideas is nothing but plagiarism. People observe nature or listen to people discuss topics, but then by looking at a problem from a new angle, an old solution that has just been reapplied comes to light that could solve the new problem. New ideas need to come from somewhere. They do not simply materialize in one’s mind. They are inspired.
Delete"The effects of climate change will likely include a rise in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. The biggest threats to Caribbean island nations like Cuba are hurricanes, droughts, heavy rainfall, and a rise in sea level." (WolrdWatch pg 336) I think that this is definitely something to watch out for as there was just a hurricane that crossed through Mexico and the Caribbean islands. Now is the time to realize the damage that has been done to the natural resources globally and there is nothing we can do at this point besides try to be sustainable and have each individual do their part in making the resources available when they are needed.
ReplyDelete“In 1993 Cuba’s legislature passed the National Energy Sources Development Program. Its goals include increased energy efficiency (the first priority), reduced energy imports, and maximized domestic energy sources. Cuba began a drive to save energy and use more renewable sources. Off-grid schools, health clinics, and social centers were electrified with solar panels.” – WorldWatch p. 335
ReplyDeleteA common argument against investing in renewable energy is that research and development is too expensive. According to this article however, Cuba has been heavily investing in renewable energy for over 20 years. Do you think that these policies were borne out of necessity, since Cuba could no longer import oil from the Soviet Union? Do you think that the U.S. will only adopt environmentally-friendly practices when it is absolutely necessary?
I definitely think these policies were borne out of necessity. Cuba’s renewable energy program can be compared to their innovations in organic agriculture. Cuba was facing a food shortage due to their economic isolation from the United States and Soviet Union back in the 1990s. The people of Cuba were forced to grow food locally near the cities, especially Havana, and using methods that don’t require chemicals (because they lacked access to these). Now the system of agriculture is hailed as one of the largest, most efficient organic, local food systems in the world. Increasing local food production and investing in renewable energies are definitely more sustainable and better for the future, even if they are in response to necessity. I hope that the U.S. doesn’t wait until these practices are absolutely to implement them. I hope we can find a stimulus not in necessity, but in the advantages that we see to renewable energy and local agriculture. I have faith that we will not wait until we are in trouble to utilize renewable energies. I think we can learn from other countries and systems like those in Cuba to implement our programs now.
Delete“This is not a lack of information. It’s a lack of integration.” - Benyus: Biomimicry’s Surprising Lessons from Nature’s Engineers 4:30
ReplyDeleteI do not feel there could not be a more accurate quote about society today in the 21st century. So much information is available to us because of the internet and greater technology for research at the touch of a button. However, people often simply take this information as stand-alone facts and do not apply it. Many of the problems we run into have already been solved by nature and simply need to be found and applied to a different scenario. Often the simplest solution is the best one.
This is completely true and a great quote. We as humans are producing and creating a vast amount of knowledge and information across a vast array of fields but we are not communicating and not working holistically to help each other with what the other has learned. In the book The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, this problem is directly addressed. The fact that we are creating so much knowledge but not doing anything with it as whole. Becker praises people like Otto Rank who when looking at a problem, looked at it from all types of angles and from different perspectives, not just the one at hand. We need to teach our children and future leaders to think holistically and realize that the one way you learned something at school is not the only way to look at a problem and try to create the solution.
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ReplyDeleteTed Talk: Janine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers
ReplyDelete“There were organisms out there that have already solved the problems they have spent their whole careers trying to solve.” Min 5:57
I loved this Ted Talk because its whole idea was about looking at the world holistically and making sure we learn from everything we can and apply what we learn to every aspect of our lives. Why would we make the same mistakes that evolution and species have spent millions of years solving and have already solved. If the answers are out there and they are working without hurting the environment then it is our duty as caretakers of the Earth to go out and learn from it. We have separated ourselves from nature and this is what I believe is the underlying cause in every problem we face in the world today. Benyus specifically speaks of how the environmental sector is not working with the business sector and this needs to change. We need to start acting and thinking in a holistic manner and realize everything has something that can contribute to solving a problem, even if you do not expect it to. I wonder if there will be a day when every decision we make will be one made holistically and with our environment in the forefront of the solution.
"...Cuba represents an alternative, where material success as measured by energy consumption is secondary, while other quality-of-life issues are given priority. The message is clear: humanity will survive and can even thrive in a resource-constrained world if it learns from the Cuban example."
ReplyDeleteWow it truly is funny how the table can turn. For being such a powerful country th US seems to be slacking in areas where Cuba greatly excels. Its hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the US needs to use cuba as an example but I couldn't agree more. Like the Australians the Cubans changed their lifestyle but on their on initiative not from a crisis and it really shows how far they have come and how we need to follow their path.
00:50 - Where do ideas come from?
ReplyDelete"And the coffeehouse played such a big role in the birth of the enlightenment, in part, because of what people were drinking there. Because, before the spread of coffee and tea through British culture, what people drank - both elite and mass folks drank day-in and day-out, from dawn until dusk, was alcohol."
I think that this is a very interesting quote because it highlighted the fact that small, seemingly insignificant things such as people going to coffeehouses to drink coffee and tea would have such a significant impact on society. It was fascinating to learn that people prior to this would drink alcohol all day long essentially and when they switched to coffee and tea there was a burst in the amount of ideas that they were coming up from. Also, he mentioned that the environment of the coffeehouse brought people of different backgrounds together. Do you think that coffee shops today foster this same creativity and inspire collaboration?
Steve Johnson's TED Talk "Where Good Ideas Come From" instantly drew my attention with the metaphor of coffee shops acting as a place where great ideas where fostered because of the "architecture of the place"(1:45). The terminology of he coffee shop that he used simply means places which bring diverse groups of people together instigate new creativity and I think we can see this taking place right here in IDS2154 with our group work. I know personally, I am glad that I have had the chance to meet and mesh with my ten person group as I have learned so much from each of them and it is inspiring that we all share a passion for sustainability(passion further drives the creation of ideas). I think the take away message from Steve Johnson's TED Talk was to make sure to include time for collaboration in your daily and weekly life. It is hard to avoid getting caught up in detail and individual work, so be conscious of it, and leave time for clubs, group lunches etc. to allow for new thoughts to form.
ReplyDelete"Cuba has a very low per capita income, yet in the non-materialistic, quality-of-life domain, it excels. Thus Cuba represents a paradox. It is a materially poor country that has First World education, literacy, and health care." - Worldwatch, pg. 342
ReplyDeleteThe example of Cuba, is good indicator that GDP isn't always a good indicator of quality of life. Also, in Worldwatch they state that Cuba was the only country rated as having "sustainable development" in WWF's Living Planet Report. The idea of sustainability will force to ask ourselves what we value as most important. Cuba lives with what they need to get by, which is the total opposite of what the US does. How will we convince people that sustainability isn't about taking their freedoms, but rather about living simpler lives? Do you believe it is possible for the US to follow a more sustainable model of development, with all the calls from people that will probably see it as "un-American"?
I do believe it is possible for the US to follow a more sustainable model, but as you said, a lot of people will have issues with it. We tend to wonder why we should go out of our way to do something that will contribute so little to change and don't realize that if they got rid of their thoughts like that and just contributed to the cause, then there would be more people willing to contribute and actually help in the long run. I feel like it will take a lot of time though.
DeleteI think you raise a good point. Sustainability also requires sustainability in terms of human happiness and dignity; how can Cuba be upheld as a model of sustainability when many people are still suffering? People are still seeking refuge in the United States because of economic and political conditions, yet the Worldwatch document ignores much of those factors. There's an interesting correlation between a dictatorship and sustainability. Is a controlling government and coercion the only way to achieve sustainability? The U.S. is one of the least sustainable nations, yet our quality of life for many people is much higher than Cuba's. I think that a solution must bypass all preconceived notions of government i.e. our republic vs. a dictatorship.
Delete"We need a global energy revolution," according to Mario Alberto Arrastia Avila, an energy expert with the energy information center Cubaenergia in Havana. "But in order for this to happen, we also need a revolution in consciousness." (Worldwatch pg, 342)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Mario said about needing an energy revolution, but even for so as to what he says about needing a conscious revolution. We tend to worry so much about solving our problems and creating solutions, but we never really worry about stopping them at the source, to analyze why we are even having these problems and what not. I feel that we are so consumed with living and our social standings, that we never take a step back and think of what is to come if we never had these materialistic lifestyles. I believe in order to "solve" these problems we need to figure out what we are doing wrong initially and stop that rather than trying to fix what we continue to do. For example, I work for a chinese app, and my followers discuss with me all the time their problems with pollution over there, and they tell me how their families and friends have limited their carbon footprints in a desperate attempt to change things. They have told me that they have gone through a whole change and are trying to live this way now, rather than just finding a quick fix.
And do you believe that education would be the key factor in the revolution in consciousness or do you believe that our way of thinking is already okay?
DeleteI feel as though education is a prime reason for many of the issues we are facing both societally and environmentally today. However, despite how important education is it is not something that can be immediately provided. The right teachers have to be found and people need to be taught things before they acquire pre-concieved notions that everything is okay. We have to focus on children and teaching in school (and of course providing schools for those who lack such resources). The next generation is our greatest hope for change, because they are the people who will need to be dealing with it. If a change is not made soon, however, be it by children or their parents, the youngest generation will not have a world to live in.
Delete“Allow those hunches to connect with other people’s hunches. That’s what often happens. You have half an idea; somebody else has the other half. And if you’re in the right environment, they turn into something larger than the sum of their parts.” Where Do Ideas Come From? (11:35)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that two parts working together can create something larger than the sum of the two. This concept often goes overlooked due to the competitive drive found within society. Ideas are protected rather than connected in order to ensure individual creditability and monetary gain. This inhibits the formation of a network of thoughts that are crucial to allow new ideas to flourish. In order to advance as a species, we must collectively work together to progress on a global level instead of an individual level.
This observation seems understandable and natural but it is upsetting that it is not the case. I agree that I love the idea that you have half an idea while someone else can have the other half and can work together to make something meaningful. While we like to think we do, we don't always have all the answers and it often times takes inspiration to think clearly and about something bigger than yourself. Society, especially a capitalist one, is very competitive and this discourages groupthink and collaboration. I enjoy that our class has a lot of group work because even though we may not all have the same views, our personal ideas can spark inspiration in others.
Delete"The most important thing besides all of these adaptations is the fact that these organisms have figured out a way to do the amazing things they do while taking care of the place that's going to take care of their offspring" (Benyus, 19:10). This quote shows the essence of sustainability and why I wanted to learn about it to make a better future. Nature has a way of taking care of itself better than we do. Our way of being sustainable has been to try and clean up our own mess. If we can learn from the earth how it takes care of itself, we will learn how to take care of ourselves. Out of all the ways Benyus' describes nature as more efficient, what method of mimicking nature do you think is most interesting?
ReplyDeleteFrom Janine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers:
ReplyDelete“Learning from the natural world – the answers are out there, we just need to new lens through which to see them” (7:08). An example of this is the “Namibian beetle that pulls water out of fog” (16:03).
Through the 12 examples of possible solutions from the biological world, Janine Benyus explains how we can apply the knowledge found in the creatures and processes of the natural world to our human endeavors and problems. I liked how she explained that plants and animals have found a way to become what they are while at the same time caring for the plant that sustains them (19:50). I wonder how we could really find these solutions in Nature. Should we fund a program that is tasked with looking for these answers? Or should we just see what we find over time based on the status quo of research?
Great point! The first step to changing a situation is recognizing that the current system is not working to efficiency. For this particular instance, we could potentially fund a program to increase research of the natural environment. However, Americans are not necessarily inclined to donate or fond of taxation. We could focus on allowing American citizens to figure out the value of the natural environment on their own, but most would choose a life of blissful ignorance, in correlation to the Americans’ denial of death (leading to fear of the outside world). There is no right answer, but there are positive actions.
DeleteI think you make a good point, and personally I do think that it would be advantageous for our nation to fund a program that sought to find these answers. This would ultimately allow us to find the answers we need to apply to our modern technologies in order to find sustainable answers to almost all of the questions we find ourselves faced with. To tie in Johnson's Ted talk I feel that it would be an advantage to try and incorporate the ideals of the coffee house atmosphere in order facilitate the development of good ideas.
Delete“There are organisms that have already solved the problems they had spent their careers trying to solve. Learning about the natural world is one thing, learning from the natural world that’s the switch. What they realized is that the answers are all around them they just needed to change their lens”
ReplyDeleteThis idea can be compared to the jellyfish metaphor in Ishmael. The idea that an organism believes it has reached it pinnacle and focuses on their current form instead of evolving to new heights. Do you believe that human beings could learn from the natural environment and advance their form?
"In 1993 Cuba’s legislature passed the National Energy Sources Development
ReplyDeleteProgram. Its goals include increased energy efficiency (the first priority),
reduced energy imports, and maximized domestic energy sources.
Cuba began a drive to save energy and use more renewable sources. Off-grid
schools, health clinics, and social centers were electrified with solar panels." (Worldwatch, 335). Worldwatch explains how Cuba implemented several other actions to address and improve the energy crisis. One of the things I find most interesting is how Cuba launched an energy education program in order to bring awareness to energy conservation. What happened to Cuba in the 90's is proof that often times people will not take an initiative towards sustainable energy until it is too late or until thay have to.
I found it incredibly interesting to see that a small country, whose government did many terrible things, still implemented sustainable practices because they did not have the economic capabilities to waste money like we do in the US. I wonder how things will occur in the US if we had severe economic restrictions and had a government that actually wanted to improve our country. I think that we would implement a sustainable energy grid rather than relying on fossil fuels because it makes more sense in the long run and we can't waste money. This will probably occur in many nations this century as fossil fuel will become more expensive to extract and water will become very scarce.
Delete“Education in Cuba is free. The country ranks second in the world in the share of GDP allocated to education, at 5.5 percent. The United States, ranked first, spends 13.6 percent; the world average is 4.4 percent.” (page 339, World Watch Institute, Is sustainability still possible?)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote particularly interesting because recently I saw a statistic of the highest ranked educational systems in the world according to a 2014 survey. Based off of this data, it ranked the United States at the rank of 14. Cuba, not even being in the top 40. Thus it led me to wonder, why is it that the number one country in the world in terms of spending for education doesn’t even rank in the top ten, and the second most in the world (Cuba) not even rank in the top 40. What is all the money going too, if not bettering the education system? To me it would only make sense for the country who spends almost 300% more on education then the worldly average, should have the top ranked educational system. I have an issue with this, personally because I feel that the money isn’t being spent wisely enough. I think this is a major issue in our nation, money being spent in ill judged fashions, which leads to a waste of all efforts. What do you feel about this statistic, do you too find this messed up? As responsible citizens what do you think we can do, to help fix this?
Yea when I saw those statistics, I also thought that was interesting that world watch references Cuba and United States in top rankings when I knew for a fact that it wasn’t true and based off survey mentions they are not even close. The money intended for education was misused with the children to suffer which in my opinion broke basic rules of sustainability that Dr. Chandler set out. For one, the lack of effort to better human dignity which is why the education in both countries is so poor, showing that the system ultimately fails because it was not sustainable. They also failed to recognize the social problem, therefore they don’t realize what the sustainable problem is. Lastly, how the money was spent inconsiderably of the children needing to be educated was a poor choice they made today that affects our future to come.
Delete“This is the simple design brief. I mean, it looks simple because the system, over 3.8 billion years, has worked this out. That is, those organisms that have not been able to figure out how to enhance or sweeten their places, are not around to tell us about it. That's the twelfth one. Life -- and this is the secret trick; this is the magic trick -- life creates conditions conducive to life. It builds soil; it cleans air; it cleans water; it mixes the cocktail of gases that you and I need to live. And it does that in the middle of having great foreplay and meeting their needs. So it's not mutually exclusive. We have to find a way to meet our needs, while making of this place an Eden.” Janine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great lesson to be learned from nature, For much of humanity, we have been trying to find solutions to complex problems with the mindset that there NEEDS to be a complex solutions but that’s not true and this video is an example of my case and point. For nature has spent billions of years figuring out the same problems we face today such as clean water and air, and we can simply learn from these organisms to better our life and be more sustainable with the world creating the conditions to gives life a remarkable place to live in.
"Another thing is to allow those hunches to connect with other people's hunches...you have half an idea, somebody else has the other half. And if you’re in the right environment, they turn into something larger than the sum of their parts" (Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From at 11:50)
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved about this particular quote was its emphasis on teamwork. Living in an individualistic culture, it becomes effortless to put your values and ideas first and possibly even more superior than others. However, to create a sustainable world, working alone becomes less effective than working together as a whole. Combining other people's ideas in addition to yours allows an introduction of different perspectives. Mistakes will be less apparent and time will be less consumed. Ultimately, the results will be better. We cannot be accustomed into working alone with a condescending view towards other people. Because we are all interconnected, we must all work together to create an environment that will be better and more effective than our ideas alone.
"Cuba has been committed to maintaining a high level of social services," (Worldwatch, 338)
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I believe that governments should be providing is high quality social services. Cuba has been an excellent example of how public policies and regulations can help a country with extremely limited resources establish a somewhat strong economy (given the embargo). Something that is severely lacking in capitalistic society is the absence of quality of life in making policy changes in our government. If the primary goal was to create economic profits then our policies would make sense, but we oftentimes ignore that we are human beings that need basic necessities provided for, mainly education, health care, and safety. If the US government invested as heavily in educating high quality doctors as they did in promoting big Pharma then maybe we would actually have doctors that heal us when we visit them rather than giving us chemicals. We need to focus on improving the quality of life of every person.
What an intensely interesting ted, obviously an older ted talk this author questions what our new engineers need to be thinking about as they design the things we need for tomorrow. The most interesting thing to me was her opener and main theme about foreplay and species reproduction. She has also related this to computers and our ability to master engineering. my question is like many of the diffrent engineering ideas she had, how can we use nature to help us understand the things we should to correct the problems we have already made? Whats our next step? is it sustainable to think we can use nature to help fix our problems? Because i know we can us help look for healthier global solutions.
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ReplyDelete"Fossil fuel resources have become more limited, threatening economic hardship, at the same time that their emissions are causing dangerous climate change.
ReplyDeleteOf all these challenges, climate change is arguably the most severe and daunting. Stabilizing the climate seems unlikely without a significant reduction in fossil fuel consumption. " (WW pg. 332)
Climate change is a major issue facing all of the world. Cuba apparently being one of the main countries. If humans can not reduce their fossil fuel use, then how will we lower the emission? I like how the author looked at that. The only way to fix our issues will come at a cost of our lifestyle changes. But if you keep reading the article you'll find Cuba choses to place the people over the Earth. When are we going to realize that we are part of the Earth, not something bigger than it? When are we going to stop being so naive and respect what gives us so much?
“Cuba has a very low per capita income, yet in the non-materialistic, quality-of-life domain, it excels. Thus Cuba represents a paradox.” – World Watch pg. 342
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that those who focus less on what they own are able to develop such a higher level of happiness than those which focus on monetary as a source of happiness. This requires such a level of cooperation between the government and its people that ought to be rivaled by those countries also trying to achieve this goal. This related to the ted talk given by Johnson about the source of great ideas. People work together to create those moments which build up into being “epiphany” moments that are greatly influenced by those in their circle.
I too find this quote interesting and thank you for sharing your thoughts Jennifer. After reading what you had to say it begs me to ask whether people truly understand this concept. I feel that the majority of us believe that one needs material goods in order to be happy. I would argue against this that though possessions do have the ability to bring happiness it isn't a sustained feeling, and it will soon fade. Thus in order for one to be happy they need to do things that fullfill themselves. Therefor I feel that this is why Cuba was so successful and we should learn from them, especially considering we are within a few hundred miles from them.
Delete"Cuba’s focus on meeting basic human needs instead of on economic growth and consumption offers an important example to the rest of the world." WorldWatch pg. 332
ReplyDeleteThis simple but impactful statement is so imperative for everyone to understand. We have come to a point where we can no longer look the other way against all the injustice occuring in our society, there are millions of people suffering daily from extreme poverty while industries are accumulating billions of dollars from our consumer economy. Globally, but especially here in America, we have framed our lives around a type of economy that is constantly growing - but many studies have shown that this is exactly the thing causing unrest in communities and not to mention so much loss of happiness. Focusing on making things better instead of making things bigger would create a better quality of life for everyone.
"...Allow those hunches to connect with other people's hunches- that's what often happens. You have half of an idea, somebody else has the other half, and if you're in the right environment, they turn into something larger than the sum of their parts." (Where do Ideas Come From, 11:40)
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a quote by Vincent Van Gogh- "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." And while it's more exciting to talk about ideas as a spark or a flash or a eureka moment, Steven Johnson is right when he says that more often than not, ideas take time. They start off as a hunch. You follow that hunch. Sometimes, you might not even recognize an idea as such, but it's there. And when your idea connects with someone else's, well, two heads are better than one, right? And if the environment you're in is conducive to such collaboration, then the ideas of you and your colleagues are able to flourish into great innovations- like the GPS.
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DeleteMarla, I agree with your thoughts on this quote. I believe that two minds are indeed better than one. I also believe that no one person will be able to achieve sustainability by themselves. Agreeably, this must be done as a joint effort. Moreover, sustainability can not be reached by just working on one aspect. It is a multitude of many aspects that require a balance in order to thrive. I enjoyed reading your Van Gogh quote seeing as though he reminds everyone through his paintings that there is no greater masterpiece than collectively bringing things together. This idea is something we constantly learn in our class and I believe it is true in every aspect.
Delete"Reports of desperate people resisting displacement from their lands and livelihoods for environmentally devastating projects justified under the rubrics of progress and development appear to be increasing in many regions" (335, Is Sustainability Still Possible?)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is interesting because it looks at the idea of "progress" and compares it to how devastating it can truly be to both people and the environment. Do you agree that for progress to be possible a sacrifice must be made? Do you think there is a way to avoid this?
“We need a global energy revolution,” according to Mario Alberto Arrastia
ReplyDeleteAvila, an energy expert with the energy information center Cubaenergia
in Havana. “But in order for this to happen, we also need a revolution in
consciousness.” (World Watch Institute, 342)
Out of all the things we would have expected from Cuba over the past 50 years, including conflict, tension, anger, political oppression, the last thing we would have expected is the fact that Cuba longs for a “global energy revolution.” Of course, the evidence of communism is apparent on life on in Cuba but has it taken such a massive toll where they require the same energy revolution that America longs for? When we compare America and Cuba, there may not be many similarities. For example, looking at the differing political systems, technological advances, etc., it is safe to say that we have made more advancements than they have in the past decades. However, if this is the case, what has caused Cuba to require an energy revolution? Well, as we start to see Cubans waning off of an oppressed government and reconciling their ties with America, they need to revamp their current situation. They need to, essentially, keep up with 2015. Well, they don’t have to go about it in such a way where they degrade their environment. They must go about it in a way that bolsters human dignity. Things may be looking up for Cuba; they may find a balance in economic, social, and environmental sustainability. However, they must revamp their consciousness towards human rights if they plan to achieve this.
"They had realized that there were already organisms out there that solved the problems they had spent their careers trying to solve." (6:03)
ReplyDeleteJanine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_shares_nature_s_designs?language=en#t-355721
Janine brings up a wonderful point. The Earth and its organisms have been around for so long that so many design principles have already been perfected by simple evolution and natural selection. We already have computers that protect themselves from viruses by functioning like an immune system and many other forms of technology that are modeled after nature, but my question to you is: Is there much more to learn from nature to continue developing our hardware and software, or have we already limited out from what we can learn from the natural world?
How can we determine if the modern world destroys the capacity for nature's engineers to evolve into engineers that can solve components of our comprehensive problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there an organism that is currently becoming extinct from the rising acidity of the oceans that would have the ability to sequester CO2 as biomass? Yes there is. How would we identify other such organisms?
"In 2008, people around the world used 68 billion tons of materials, including metals and minerals, fossil fuels, and biomass. That is an average of 10 tons per person—or 27 kilograms each and every day. That same year, humanity used the biocapacity of 1.5 planets, consuming far beyond what the Earth can sustainably provide.3".(world watch institute: Is sustainability still possible?pg 114)
ReplyDeleteI particularly found this quote extremely horrifying, and to think that this was 7 years ago, begs me to wonder what are bio capacity is now. Considering that our population has grown since then. It doesn't feel like we go through that much trash in a day, but maybe that has to do with the fact that we are not cognizant of how much we actually use. After reading this, I feel obligated to do my part and limit how much I actually use and waste. My question is how can we make more people aware of such a horrifying statistic and what can we do to get this number down?
"Since 1960 Cuba has been committed to maintaining a high level of social services, devoting far more of its energy and resources to human develop- ment or social capital than the former Soviet Union, which abandoned so- cial services for privatization in the 1990s." (Worldwatch 140). I disagree. I think many Cubans are struggling, and many seek refuge in the U.S. I live by Miami, and you will almost never hear a Cuban praise Castro and his system. Could you call Cuba sustainable if it is still ruled by a dictator?
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