Week three~~~~Some responses
? from quiz 3
There are three distinct periods during which new concepts and ideas, scientific understandings, technological advances, political institutions, and laws and regulations came or were brought into being in order to understand and manage human impacts on the environment. List the 3 distinct periods discussed in the text.
Your Answer:
The American Conservation Movement; When people first began expressing concerns for the environment, most of them didn't care. They were more concerned with obtaining and developing more land than they were the footprints they would leave behind. Thanks to Theodore Roosevelt, this era resulted in a lot of national forests and nature preserves being established.
The rise of environmental risk management as a basis for policy; During the second stage of human environmental impact concerns, the people only began to care when they realized that their health was at risk. People were noticing that they were having trouble breathing and that the chemicals in the air were causing sickness so acts regulating emissions were put into play.
The integration of social and economic factors to create what we now refer to as the sustainability paradigm; In present times, were are working towards integrating sustainability into what we have already created. We are at a point where we are basically watching our resources run out and people are beginning to formulate plans for what is next. Running out of Earth's resources is going to change life as we know it drastically.
A. Kent
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Week one~~~~Some Responses
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Use this space to write your own definition of sustainability. Note: I expect at least 3 well thought out complete sentences for this response.
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Your Answer:
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Sustainability to me means that we as consumers are taking the time and effort to ensure that the flow of energy and the recycling of resources is in perfect harmony with one another. Sustainability also requires that we pay attention to evolution and exponential growth and change our habits accordingly. We need to keep a healthy balance between the earths resources and the amount of consumption. As we stand right now we are going to destroy the earth and eventually see a lot of death among the human population if we don't first get our over consumption under control.
A. Kent
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Use this space to write your own definition of sustainability. Note: I expect at least 3 well thought out complete sentences for this response.
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Your Answer:
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Sustainability is the practice of taking what we have and while using it to our full advantage to promote life and wealth on Earth, but to keep a continuous flow of this going in order to ensure future generations can have what we had and do even better than we once did. Being sustainable does not mean that you have to stop using the resources that are provided by the earth, but to use them in a conserving manner where we fulfill our needs but leave more than enough to where the flow of energy and recycling of nutrients can stay consistent and replenish the needed resources. Sustainability rests on the generations that are living and are responsible for the decisions that can will affect the Earth and its population, being able not just to focus on the present but also looking at the future and all possible needs is paramount within the field of sustainability.
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Z. Yates
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Use this space to write your own definition of sustainability. Note: I expect at least 3 well thought out complete sentences for this response.
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Your Answer:
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Sustainability, in a perfect world, would be a balance of nature and the creatures that inhabit the earth. An excellent example would be the definition of 'the circle of life' as explained in the children's movie "he Lion King". Unfortunately, humans, determining themselves to be at he top of the food chain, have designed to redefine the rules without thinking out the consequences and are rapidly depleting the earth's natural resources.
BCN2046-student fall 2016
Welcome Fall Class of 2016--Click below for the textbook link
For the ecological footprint exercise an unscintific impression--my grading 45 responses--(didn't keep a tally this time)-- is that the class average is around 5 earth's. The range is from around 12 to a low of 3.
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If you are following this term you can take the footprint quiz yourself at this
Week 3--Site Practice Exercise
1. Navigate using the button above the colored icon chart to the UN site on SD.
2. Enter at least one well thought out complete sentence on the class discussion board titled Week 3--Site Practice Exercise UN Icon Chartwhich of the 17 goals you found the most interesting and applicable to the Venice Campus ---(If you are located somewhere else please modify the assignment to fit your locale.)
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Week 2~~~One response
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Sustainable design videos
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I enjoyed them all for the most part but I will honestly say that "The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting", "How we can eat our landscapes", and "paper beats plastic" are the three that stood out the most for me and had the biggest impact into how I see things.. I like the idea that we have to realize what we should change and what we shouldn't.. And that if we work together, anybody and everybody can benefit.
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J. Martorell
Week 4 Response
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Story of Stuff Video
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I had never seen this video before but I feel all the wiser for now having seen it. Many things surprised me but there were two that were most prominent. The first was how much trash is produced for every one trash can you create. 70 trash cans of waste are created to make one trash can worth of garbage we produce. The other shocking thing is that only 1% of goods we buy actually last more than six months. This is tremendously eye opening and thought provoking.
D. Gordon
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Week 5 Student work
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I selected the H-E-B at Mueller. Not because it is the best in terms of sustainability, it's not. Not because it is the most appealing, it's not. I chose this building because it shows that building sustainably can make financial sense. This is a grocery store, not a research facility or school or university. Most, if not all, of the other buildings in this list are paid for at least in part by government subsidies. These facilities can operate at a loss. A grocery market has to make money or it is gone. The fact that H-E-B could create this building which is considerably more efficient than their normal stores gives one hope that sustainable building techniques are not something that we will only see in academia, but out in the real world where it is needed most. Of note is the fact that H-E-B now has six LEED certified stores.
NO Name Share
My favorite green building was the H-E-B at Mueller. The architectural team that created this building looked at where grocery stores use the most energy. They found their electrical usage was the biggest expense. They then found which areas they expend the most electricity and found that refrigeration consumes nearly 50% of the electrical output. One simple solution to reduce energy consumption was to put doors on the refrigerators in the meat, dairy, and produce departments. And another area that consumed a considerable amount of electricity was the lighting. A skylight study was conducted to idealize the geometric design of the building for optimal, natural light. In the end, the team was able to reduce lighting enough to where 93% of daytime hours are lit by the sun.
D. Delagrange
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I chose the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation building because the building reflects what the goals of the people working inside of it, to find new innovative solutions to sustainability. Empowering engineers of the future to work toward solving the world's biggest problems will go a long way in research and development of future generations. Working in a building designed around the ultimate goal of the people inside serves as a constant reminder of what they are working towards.
J. Furr
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I chose the H-E-B at Muller. I chose this building because I have actually been to it. I went to Austin for a wedding and we stayed right around the corner from it. I thought it had a really nice atmosphere about it. Then I learned that it has 52% reduction in lighting and 43% reduction in refrigeration and those stats seem like an excellent efficiency. I think its also great that they slashed their energy use by 64% over the grocery store national median.
K. Kalmback
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I like the H-E-B at Mueller. It makes me happy to see that they are spreading wisdom and knowledge about communal living and a healthier lifestyle. They teach others how to not just diet, but to make lifestyle changes. Not only are they a grocery store, but they are committed to being a big part of their community. They built a community room by request of the people living in the area. They also have a cafe where bands can play live music. In addition, they offer community support to poor families and book donations.
H-E-B is a large company with multiple stores and growing!
They did not fall short to constructing this new facility to environmentally friendly as well.
https://www.heb.com/static-page/article-template/Our-Company
A. Kent
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Personally I love the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. I chose this building for a few different reasons. My main reason is because the building was actually made using mostly recycled materials. What was not recycled was renewable materials which included the rubber flooring and base, linoleum flooring, and the agrifiber door cores. I also really love the overall look of this building. I think its creative and has great solar access.
D. Wallace
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I chose the Center for Sustainable Landscapes Building. I chose this building for the purpose that it a building that can generate all its own energy and also is a place of education and research. Being a sustainable building in itself is an amazing feat to accomplish as well as they have the ability to treat and use all the water they capture on-site. At this building they teach the importance of sustainability and show the connection between the buildings we create and the natural environment and give us the building as a prime example of how to coexist in our natural environment without destroying it. The amount of exhibits they showcase of renewable energy sources and strategies to improve conservation is incredible.
Z. Yates
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B & G Suggestions to add
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I believe that the section “Tips for Preserving Biodiversity in Natural Areas” could be expandedon to provide more ways for a green lifestyle. Some ideas for this would include not usingpesticides for lawn care, properly disposing of dangerous chemicals, and to aim for energyconservation in their home. With more tips on how to preserve biodiversity people will be able tohelp reduce the harmful effects of human interaction with natural areas.
Image:
URL:
http://www.greenschools.net/section.php?id=24
J. Furr