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Environmental and Sustainability Literature
Environmental and Sustainability Literature is a semester-long Senior Options English course. The purpose of this course will focus on literature that delves into various environmental issues such as environmental justice, factory farming, climate change, global access to clean water, the consumption of natural resources, and environmental health. The course will focus on early forms of nature writing from H.D. Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and John Muir through the 20th Century environmentalist pieces from writers such as Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and Edward Abbey, and will include modern activists, and current millennial writers. Through the study of a wide variety of texts we will attempt to confront the most pressing global issues intertwining food, water, energy, economics, and social class as a means of understanding what environmentalism, activism, and sustainability actually means. Students will be encouraged to find their own voices as they explore the most pressing issues facing their generation.
Turnitin.com
Class ID: 44885349
Enrollment Key: Kinberg1
You must have your textbooks and Chromebook with you every day.
Texts
American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau, edited by Bill McKibben
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer
Coming of Age at the End Of Nature: A Generation Faces Living on a Changed Planet, edited by Julie Dunlap and Susan A. Cohen
Selected and supplemental readings on an updated basis.
Documentaries to include (but not limited to):
180 Degrees South
The Biggest Little Farm
Sand Wars
Plastic Planet
Unit 1: What is Environmentalism, Activism, and Sustainability?
Unit 1 is an introduction to the history of environmentalism. Students will make connections between the past environmental movements to current issues involving sustainability. Students will assess the impacts environmental activists have had globally in an effort to discover their own connections to environmentalism.
Week 1: What is environmentalism to you?
August 7:
In class: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability and Global climate crisis hits home in the U.S. amid record heat and pervasive wildfires
August 8:
Due:
Key takeaways from the UN report on the climate crisis
In class:
Warm-Up #1: What were some specific takeaways from last night's readings that stood out to you?
What do you care about? Why? What do you do about it?
Watch: Prince Ea "Fun Fact"
Greta Thunberg’s TED Talk Greta TED Talk and address to The United Nations Greta UN.
August 12:
Below assignment due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
Read: Coming of Age at the End of Nature -- Introduction, pgs. xi-xvii
Coming of Age at the End of Nature -- "Post-Nature Writing," pgs. 3-11.
Watch: Ryan Camero, Brower Youth Awards 2015
Answer: What does "Nature" mean to you? Explain with examples. Reference the readings.
In class:
Warm-Up #2: What defines Gen Z? What are your generation's habits, concerns, pursuits, worries, hopes, etc.?
Watch: Gen Z and climate change
Which side of the ridge would you have shown the tourists? Explain why.
Seeing Nature
August 14:
Read: Coming of Age at the End of Nature -- "Winter Solstice"
Answer: Relate the article to a place you love and explain why.
Due: To Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
Watch: Victor Davila, 2011 Brower Youth Award Winner
Warm-Up #3: Take a short walk outside to admire the beauty. What did you see? Explain what you thought or felt?
Read: Microplastics in autopsies.
Watch: IPCC sounds alarm on climate change and UN's landmark climate report delivers starkest warning on climate change
Respond to what you read and saw. Submit to turnitin.com
August 16:
American Earth – “Introduction” pgs. xxi-xxxi
American Earth – Thoreau, “from Walden” pgs. 15-22
American Earth – Thoreau, “from Huckleberries” pgs. 26-36
Due: To Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
Pick one passage (quote) from each reading and comment on it. Do you agree or disagree? Why? What did it make you think about?
In class:
Warm-Up #4 + Video: What are your most fond memories interacting on a regular basis with nature from your childhood?
Watch: POLITICAL THEORY - Henry David Thoreau.
Be a Loser - The Philosophy of Henry David Thoreau
Nature is Everywhere TED Talk. Answer: How do the messages in this video relate to the readings from Thoreau? Do you agree? Explain.
Week 3: Waste and Warning
August 20: American Earth – Hornaday, “The Bird Tragedy on Laysan Island” pgs.181-185
Coming of Age at the End of Nature -- "But I'll still Be Here," pgs. 54-62
Watch: Prince Ea "Sorry"
Explain the common theme of all three pieces.
Due: To Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Watch: Chasing Coral
August 22: American Earth – Whitman, “from Leaves of Grass” pgs. 62- 64
American Earth – Guthrie, “This Land is Your Land” pgs. 258-259
Warm-Up #5: What is your plan for next year?
Aug. 26: American Earth – Leopold, “from A Sand County Almanac” pgs. 265-294
In class:
In class essay: Responding to the 3 quotes below, relate the two poems and the video to your own thoughts.
"Something startles me where I thought I was safest: Walt Whitman
" This land is your land, this land is my land" Woodie Guthrie
" I'm sure there's something better I could be doing with my life." Richard Vevers
You may use your book and your viewing guide from Chasing Coral.
Suggested Outline:
- Introduction
- ICD
- Topic
- Thesis
- Walt Whitman Analysis
- Personal Reaction/Relation to Whitman’s message
- Woodie Guthrie Analysis
- Personal Reaction/Relation to Guthrie’s’s message
- Richard Vevers (Chasing Coral) Analysis
- Personal Reaction/Relation to Vevers’s message
- Conclusion
Roots of Modern Environmentalism
Aug. 28: American Earth – Carson, “from Silent Spring” pgs. 366-376
“We Are the Fossil-Fuel Fighters” (from Coming of Age at the End of Nature)
Relate both pieces to issues you get very frustrated about? Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Watch:How Trees Talk to Each Other
Watch TEDEd: Rachel Carson, Shots of Awe: The Solutions Project, and Stephen O'Hanlon, Brower Youth Awards 2018
Answer: Based on your readings so far, what is your response to these three videos and the power of the individual? Submit to Turnitin.com.
Watch:
Toxic waste dump site more than twice the size of Manhattan discovered in Pacific Ocean
Aerial Malathion Spraying to Begin in Camarillo Area
Report: 32 million pounds of toxic pesticides sprayed on Ventura County fields from 2015 to 2020
Strawberries, spinach and kale top "dirty dozen" list
Death toll in Pakistan passes 1,110 as monsoon floods reach historic levels
Greenland ice melt will raise sea levels by nearly a foot, study says
August 30: Read: American Earth -- Aldo Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain" and "Land Ethics" (pgs. 274-294).
Relate Leopold's ideas with "How Trees Talk to Each Other." Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class: Warm up #7:
Watch Bill McKibben: The New Climate Change Battle Respond to the video and relate it to what we have discussed so far. What are your thoughts?
Watch Inside the secret shipping industry, Shipping Company Maersk Announces Carbon Neutral Plan and Maersk accelerates fleet decarbonisation mission
Week 5: Is Environmentalism Inclusive?
Sept. 3: Watch Valeree Catangay, Brower Youth Awards 2018
Read either How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering or Racist housing policies have created some oppressively hot neighborhoods
(Do not sign up to read any article. If you can not access either article, just search the titles and read a similar article for free.)
“Why I Wear Jordans in the Great Outdoors” (from Coming of Age at the End of Nature)
Answer: What are some issues concerning inclusiveness when it comes to environmentalism? Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Warm-Up #6: Consider your level of privilege? What are your thoughts about this? Do you have a responsibility, an obligation, to use your privilege for the greater good? Explain.
Watch Environmental Justice and Communities of Color Black Girls Surf.
Respond to the video as it relates to “Why I Wear Jordans in the Great Outdoors.”
Read the following three articles:
'Like I wasn't there': climate activist Vanessa Nakate on being erased from a movement
The erasure of Vanessa Nakate portrays an idealised climate activism
American environmentalism’s racist roots have shaped global thinking about conservation
Meet the young people of colour fighting for our planet
Respond to the articles as they relate to “Why I Wear Jordans in the Great Outdoors.”
Watch the following two videos:
How Urban Heat Impacts Communities of Color
Wangari Maathai & The Green Belt Movement
I will be a hummingbird - Wangari Maathai
What are your reactions/thoughts? Submit to Turnitin.com
Sept. 9: Read:
“The Thoreau Problem” (American Earth – Solnit, pgs. 971-974)
“Sunset at Mile-16” (from Coming of Age at the End of Nature)
Climate change affects rich and poor unequally
Watch the following three videos
What Is Environmental Justice?
We See You: Environmental Leaders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Neighborhood pollution contributing to higher asthma rates among Black Americans
Answer: How are social, economic, and racial issues tied up in environmentalism? Cite specifics from the readings and videos. Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class: Listen to the 2 following podcasts: Young Latino voters want a focus on climate change and How Indigenous land rights could help save the Brazilian Amazon from deforestation and and Dear Parents, do You Love Your Kids... and Anointed by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
Answer: Based on on what you now know about Environmental Justice and the concept of inclusiveness, respond to the articles, videos, and podcasts . Submit to turnitin.com.
More from Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner
Wednesday, September 11: In class: Warm-Up #7: Discuss your food history/culture.
Friday, September 13:
In class: Warm-Up #8: Watch One Earth and Climate Change - A Short Film
Respond to the videos. What did you think? Pick just one of our readings to connect to the videos. Submit to Turnitin.com.
Essay Exam: Due to Turnitin.com by 8: a.m., Tuesday, September 17:
Take a long walk or hike. Go with someone else or alone (be safe). Observe the environment around you. Think about your place and your role in the environmental community. What are the issues that come to mind? Discuss the socio-economic issues faced in environmental and sustainability activism. Cite the pieces we have read as well as any outside sources. You may use your texts and notes. 1200-1500 words.
Unit 2: The Ramifications of What We Eat
In Unit 2, students will explore the impacts food has on society, culture, and the environment. Students will be forced to examine their dietary habits and assess the environmental, economic, and ethical choices they are making at every meal.
NPR Climate Solutions: The Food We Eat
The Culture of Food?
September 17:
In class:
Watch: The four fish we're overeating -- and what to eat instead
Why I am a part-time vegetarian
Ending the battle between vegans, vegetarians, and everyone else
Food Deserts in D.C. | Let's Talk | NPR
Trying to Eat Healthy in a Food Desert
A guerilla gardener in South Central LA
Answer: Discuss the various environmental justice issues concerning what we eat. Submit to Turnitin.com
September 19: Eating Animals, “Storytelling” and “All or Nothing or Something Else” pgs. 3-41.
Food Economics
September 23: Eating Animals, “Words/Meaning” pgs. 43-77.
Warm-Up #: Which definitions from last night's reading stood out to you? Why?
In class: Watch Food Inc. *WARNING* Although this documentary is rated PG, there are some very disturbing images from factory farms and slaughterhouses.
September 25: Eating Animals, “Hiding/Seeking” pgs. 78-115.
Begin The Biggest Little Farm
Food Choices
September 27: Eating Animals, “Influence/Speechlessness” pgs. 123-148.
In class: Finish Food Inc.
October 1: Eating Animals, “Slices of Paradise/Pieces of Sh**” pgs. 149-199
In class: Watch The Biggest Little Farm
October 4:Eating Animals, “I Do” pgs. 201-244.
Warm-Up #11: Where do you stand? With animal "rights," animal "welfare," or neither? Why? Explain your stance.
In class:
Watch: Meat Without Animals: The Future Of Food
Vertical ocean farming - the least deadliest catch
Reviving New York's rivers -- with oysters!
Based on the videos, how can changing agricultural practices become environmental activism? What can you do?
October 8: Eating Animals, “Storytelling” pgs. 245-270
Warm-Up #12: What did you think of the book? What were some standout points for you?
Watch: Customers beefing with Cracker Barrell over plant-based sausage and Cracker Barrel fans are offended by launch of plant-based sausage
October 10:
In class:
Watch: Watch: King Corn Take notes on the provided viewing template. Due at the end of the period.
October 14:
Essay Exam (In class): Discuss the rhetorical devices employed in Eating Animals and assess the validity of the author’s arguments. Then, connect the text to the videos, and class discussions we have had while studying Eating Animals. What impact, if any, did this unit have on you personally? Have you (and your family) made any lifestyle changes? Explain.
Unit 3: Consumerism and its Environmental Impact
In unit 3, students will examine how the production and consumption of consumer goods impact the environment. Students will confront the concept of “the real cost” of the goods and services they consume. Students will self-reflect on the their own practices and research how to reduce their individual environmental impact.
October 16: In class: Watch:
The real problem with GMO Food
Food Waste causes Climate Change.
Takeout creates a lot of trash. It doesn't have to.
Neuromarketing: How brands are getting your brain to buy more stuff
The Shitthropocene: Welcome to the Age of Cheap Crap
What We See and What We Don’t
October 18:
In class: Watch:
Woodsy Owl 1977 TV public service announcement
This book came out in 1971 when Mr. Kinberg was in preschool. Did you read it when you were little? Does it hold up? Is it still relevant? What are your thoughts?
Watch:
The History of Stuff What did you think? What stood out to you?
October 22:
Watch
TED Talk: Why I live a zero waste life. After the video, think about your kitchen, trash, cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Connect the video to your current lifestyle. What are your thoughts? Submit to Turnitin.com along with The Lorax and The History of Stuff by 8:00 a.m.
Two adults, two kids, zero waste
How I failed at zero waste | TED Talk
Do you try to make lifestyle changes when you learn of your own destructive habits? Why or why not? Give examples.
Warm-Up #13: Watch The Story of Plastic, The Real Cost of Bottled Water, and Coke Knew Their Plastic Would Trash the Planet…And Did It Anyway What do you think "real cost" actually means?
In Class: Watch The life cycle of a t-shirt, The clothes we wear, and The Story of Change. Considering your own shopping habits, respond to the four videos. Submit to turnitin.com.
Begin: The True Cost
October 24:
Watch:
Watch United Nations: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times,
Answer: What were the most stunning or eye-opening aspects of the short film? Why did the filmmaker use celebrities to transmit the message? Do you think this is a successful strategy? Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 (300-500 words).
Then click on each of the U.N. Sustainable Global Goals.U.N. Sustainable Goals
In class: Quiz on UN Sustainable Goals
Watch: Climate Change - The Facts Can We Cool the Planet? (Nova)
Answer: What are the biggest concerns discussed in the film? What stood out to you? What was surprising? Submit to Turnitin.com Monday, October 28, by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Mindless Harm
October 28:
Watch: Explained | World's Water Crisis and Not enough water to go around: Colorado River Basin, ravaged by drought, plans for a drier future Answer: Discuss your thoughts on how natural resources are allocated and exploited.
Both questions are due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Watch The Story of Cosmetics, The Story of Electronics, The Story of Microfibers, and The Story of Microbeads. What did you not realize about the products from our everyday lives?
Begin Sand Wars
Restoring Surfer's Point at Seaside Park
California's beaches threatened by climate change
Landslide leaves California mansions teetering on cliff’s edge
October 30:
American Earth – Walker, “Everything Is a Human Being” pgs. 659-670
What are the problems caused by the Wasichu as described by Walker? Relate what Alice Walker says to your own experience in the world.(300-500 words). Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Warm-Up #14: Are you more moved to action by emotional/spiritual connection to an issue or by economic/scientific knowledge of an issue? Explain.
Unintended Consequences
November 4:
American Earth – Leslie Marmon Silkon, "from Ceremony” pgs. 582-589
Compare and contrast how the issues of land ownership/stewardship/exploitation and the conflict between indigenous people and white settlers that are brought up in "Ceremony" with "Everything is Human." Which piece (or both or neither) do you agree with most? Why? (300-500 words). Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
watch Why Indigenous forest guardianship is crucial to climate action
3000-year-old solutions to modern problems | Lyla June
Respond to the video and connect it to the readings.
Tell Them by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
Respond to the video and connect it to the readings.
November 6:
Read: American Earth – McKibben, “from The End of Nature” pgs. 718-724
Answer: Why does Bill McKibben say "There is no such thing as nature anymore"? How does this create his extreme loneliness? (330-500 words). Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class watch Bill McKibben on Climate Crisis
The Silence of the Bees or The Silence of the Bees
‘Mystery of the Missing Bees’ Looks Back at Colony Collapse Disorder
November 8:
Read: American Earth – Durning, “The Dubious Rewards of Consumption” pgs. 770-780
Answer: How does this article relate to the Story of Stuff videos we have been watching? Roughly 300-500 words. Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class:
Warm-Up #15: Watch What Happens When You Only Pursue Pleasure - Alan Watts
Respond to the video. What do you think? Relate what Alan Watts has to say with last night's reading.
The Tipping Points of Climate Change — and Where We Stand
Attenborough tells COP26 conference delegates: 'The world is looking to you'
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability
Environmentalism or Capitalism?
November 13:
Read American Earth –Abbey, “Polemic: Industrial Tourism and The National Parks” pgs. 413-433
Answer: What does Abbey say are the major problems with industrial tourism? What are his "solutions"? Do you agree with his arguments? What would be some of your solutions? (300-500 words) Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 am.
In class: Warm-Up #16: Have you ever been camping ("Glamping, RV/Camper, Car Camping, Tent, Backpacking)? Do you go regularly (at least every couple of years or more)? If so, what are your favorite or least favorite aspects of camping? If not, why not? What do you think you are missing out on?
In class, watch Has Instagram Ruined Nature?
How America's National Parks Became Critically Crowded With Tourists,
What happens when nature goes viral?
Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, other national parks overwhelmed by Insta-crowds
Countries crack down on rowdy tourists
The Surprising Psychology of BAD Tourist Behavior in Beautiful Places
Answer: How do these videos document Edward Abbey's greatest nightmare? Give a couple of quotes from Abbey and support them with evidence from the videos. Submit to Turnitin.com.
November 15: Read, "My Present is Not Your Tombstone" in Coming of Age at the End of Nature (pgs.98-111)
Answer: How does this piece relate to Edward Abbey's piece on Industrial Tourism? (350+/- words). Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class, watch Plastic Wars| FRONTLINE
What Do We Really Need?
November 19:
Read "Diseases of Affluence" by Ben Cromwell in Coming of Age at the End of Nature (pgs.133-144).
Answer: What "club" are you a part of and what are all the things you "need" to be "an active member"? How does this relate to the Cromwell article? Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class, watch After the Harvest: Fighting Hunger in the Coffeelands
The perfect coffee – fair trade and sustainable
Coffee: The future of coffee growing and production
The Story of Chocolate: Unwrapping the Bar
Playing Fair - The story of Fairtrade footballs
Fair Trade: A Just World Starts with You
Superfoods – is healthy eating just hype?
November 21:
Read: Braiding Sweetgrass (The "Skywoman Falling" section, pages 1-10)
Answer: According to the author, what do our creation stories have to do with our attitudes to the land? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m. (300+/- words).
In class:
Listen: How to talk to little kids about Thanksgiving, explained by a Native American children's author
watch:
Keepunumuk: Weeachumun's Thanksgiving Story, by Danielle Greendeer
The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods.
Coping with climate change: Advice for kids — from kids
Plastic Pollution Coalition - OPEN YOUR EYES
Soil Solutions to Climate Problems - Narrated by Michael Pollan
Freedge Movement (NPR podcast 4 min)
Accelerating Coastal Community-Led Conservation
December 4: Unit Final Essay due by 8:00 a.m.
Prompt: Visit a local grocery store or big box store (for example: Costco, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowe's). Take notes on the variety of products, where they are from, the packaging, the advertising, and the prices. Take particular notice of the people shopping. What are they loading up on? Do they look at the ingredients, prices, buy in bulk or single use, or anything else you can notice. After everything we have studied about consumerism and its impact on our environment, what are your thoughts? Choose something within all of this to research the environmental impact of whatever it is that topic or issue you chose. What are your thoughts on this experience? Cite your sources. 1500-2000 words.
In class: Watch Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
Introduce Global Citizen.
Week 16: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Over the break, check out the Global Citizen website. Find issues you care about. Read some articles. Sign some petitions. Send out some tweets. Share some messages. This is a great place to start getting involved in issues that matter to you.
Visit the World Wildlife Fund International Youtube page and explore some of the videos:
Unit 4: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
Unit 4 is all about activism. Based on the readings, viewings, research, and discussions, students will be able to contextualize their own practices and habits and create viable possibilities for environmental activism on a practical and local level.
Week 17: Keeping it Local
Dec. 2: Present your research topic to the class.
Warm Up #12: Describe your research topic.
Dec. 4:
Read Part I of Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in L.A. (pts. I & II)
Take notes on each section.
In class: Watch The River Under the City of Angels
From Farm to Freeway | LA Foodways
King Citrus and the Selling of the California Dream | LA Foodways
Unchartered: Los Angeles River
Dec. 4: RESEARCH PAPER DUE BY 8:00 A.M.
In class: LA's mountain lions on the brink | P22 – The Cat That Change America Urban Nature-based Solutions Construction on wildlife crossing in Agoura Hills underway and Cities That Are Saving The Planet
Warm-Up #17: Pick one of the thirteen categories to describe your neighborhood in a way no one else sees it.
In class, watch The Urban Green AND Can Los Angeles Be Sustainable? Answer, based on the videos, how can you make a difference? Be specific. Submit to Turnitin.com.
Friends of the LA River Check out how you can get involved.
What Does “Local” Actually Mean?
Dec. 6:
Read, Part II of Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in L.A. (pts. I & II) Take notes.
Dec. 10: Coplen, “Tamale Traditions: Cultivating an Understanding of Humans and Non-human Nature Through Food” (from Coming of Age at the End of Nature)
Discuss the environmental justice issues explored in this piece. Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
Go to Global Citizen. Read several articles (at least 4). Take at least 5 actions (not mandatory). Answer: What did you learn from the articles you chose? Why did you choose to take action on those particular issues and what actions did you take? Submit to Turnitin.com
Dec. 12:
American Earth – Chavez, “The Wrath of Grapes Boycott Speech” 690-695
Discuss the importance of symbolic acts as presented in this piece. How can symbolic actions become meaningful acts of change? Submit to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m.
Warm-Up #19: Watch: Cesar Chavez: American Civil Rights Activist
How Dolores Huerta Continues to Inspire Immigration Activists
Farmworkers Push On Despite Lack Of Benefits.
The race to build affordable housing for farmworkers in Oxnard
California's Burning, and Farmworkers Are Still in the Fields
Respond to the plight of the California farm worker. How does this impact you?
Dress for a walk.
In class: Nature walk. 13 ways to see nature in Oak Park.
(At least 3 paragraphs) What did you think? What really stood out to you? What did you notice on this nature walk that you didn't take note of when we did this walk back in August? Choose at least two ways of seeing nature in Oak Park to expand upon. Submit to turnitin.com.
Has This Semester Been Worthwhile?
Dec. 16: Read "True to Our Nature" (Coming of Age at the End of Nature). Write a similar letter to your kids, your future self, or the future generation. Due to Turninin.com by 8:00 a.m.
In class: Warm-Up #13: Over the past few years, what essential things have you learned about yourself that have informed the way you want to live your life? What philosophically drives you? What and who have been your biggest influences?
watch Steer With your Heart. and Catch It Respond to the philosophies expressed in these videos. Submit to Turnitin.com
From Lea Brassy:
Being and acting in tunes with my environmental and social convictions is to me a statement of serving nature and my community but also a great source of personal satisfaction.
I am committed to a responsible and sustainable lifestyle that consists of making informed consumer choices based on simplicity, common sense and respect of the living being accordingly to our heritage from past generations.
I often question my needs in order to remain farseeing in regards to the materialistic influence of our society. It’s my way to value life experiences over stuff and keep my freedom.
My plate is full with local and seasonal fruits and vegetables, my fish is caught sustainably and my meat and dairy are farmed on a small scale and bought directly from the producer.
About material goods, I prefer quality over quantity, sharing over ownership, swapping over buying, second hand over brand new, fixing over replacement, farmers markets over supermarkets.
I am constantly careful with my waste by reducing, reusing and recycling packaging but also by never throwing food away.
From Liz Clark:
A few powerful lessons I’ve learned along the way:
- We really do have immense inner power to create the life we desire and manifest our dreams.
- By using the challenges and adversities in life as opportunities to grow and learn, something positive can come out of almost any difficult situation.
- We’re all just doing our best, so instead of pointing fingers or placing blame, it’s always more useful to look within for solutions.
- Practicing relentless positivity and loving-kindness has the power to completely change one’s reality.
- WE ARE ONE! Nature, humanity, and all life on Earth are inextricably and fantastically connected. Seeking to understand and participate in this Greatness is not only a path to immense personal fulfillment, but also to healthy, peaceful planet and a populace that could exist in harmony with nature!
In class:
Warm-Up #21: Watch Youth Activism: Activating Your Voice What pursuits are you passionate about? How can you use your interests to better your community, your environment, and our world?
Watch PBS NOVA:Can We Cool the Planet?
In class: Course Feedback for Environmental and Sustainability Literature. Please answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1) Did the course meet your expectations? Explain.
2) Were the readings and videos interesting, informative, and thought provoking? Give some examples.
3) Did the readings and videos give ample voice to underserved communities and people of diverse communities? If so, what did you learn? If not, how would you improve this?
4) Do you feel as if you were allowed to voice your ideas in a welcoming and respectful environment? Explain.
5) Were the assignments interesting? Explain with examples.
6) What were your favorite parts of the course?
7) What would you do to improve the course?
Dec. 18: In class final.
Week 20:
Week 20: Finals
Final Projects Due Students will pick one specific local environmental issue that is important to them. They will research the issue and advocate for what we as individuals can do to help alleviate the issue. 800-1000 words.
American Earth – Dillard, “Fecundity” pgs. 531-549
Final Presentations
Students will have 5-7 minutes to present their findings to the class in an effort to mobilize their peers to action.
Each unit will have an independent research component, reading quizzes, and an essay exam.
Climate Change The Facts
Warm-Up Questions Weeks 1, 2, & 3
- What does “nature” mean to you?
- What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
- Is travel important to you? Why or why not?
- How do you feel about pets?
- What’s more important to you? The economy or the environment? Why?
- What should you give up to be environmentally friendly but you won’t? Why?
Corporate banana 2:21 2:21 -3:31
Students will choose a group and will be assigned one of the following topics: Eco-Tourism, Fashion, Electronic Devices, Travel, On-Line Shopping, Gold and Diamonds, Coffee and Chocolate. Each member of the group will choose a specific issue related to their topic to research and prepare a 4 minute presentation with visual aids.. StudentS will EACH hand in a 500-700 word abstract of their research and include a works cited page.
Warm-Up #15: Watch Why Are We So Unhappy? and Practice Gratitude, Learn To Say Thank You. Respond to the two videos.
In class watch Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness - Epicurus on Happiness. How does this video relate to the Durning article and the Shots of Awe videos? Do you agree/disagree? Why? How does this all relate to your own life?
Submit to Turnitin.com
Read through National Geographic: A running list of how President Trump is changing environmental policy
Final Responses (Short answers)
1. Discus how you understand the following topics (give specific examples):
a) defining nature
b) environmentalism
c) sustainability
d) activism
e) consumerism
f) environmental justice
2. Which unit had the biggest impact on you? Explain.
3. Which readings had the biggest impact on you? Explain.
4. Which videos had the biggest impact on you? Explain.
5. Will this course have any lasting impact on you as an environmentalist? Explain.
6. What environmental topics were not covered that you would like to learn more about?
Answer: Compare the storytelling strategies of The Biggest Little Farm with Eating Animals. How do they both use science and research mixed with personal experience to convey their messages? Give specific examples. 800-1000 words. Due to Turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m. on September 30.
Research paper explained.
Choose any topic related to global factory farming and explore its environmental impact. You must have at least 5 sources. 1200-1500 words.
Why did you choose this topic? Why do you care about this specific topic?
Suggestions:
Choose a specific corporation, industry, animal, or region.
Focus on a specific region, state, or country.
Think either local or global.
Choose a specific aspect such as packaging, marketing/advertising, impacts of fast food, or changing diet trends.
Choose significant environmental issues: water usage, water pollution, deforestation, monocrops, deforestation, methane gas, species eradication, impacts on the ocean.
Ethical issues.
Health issues.
Legislation.
