Open Blog 2- Lobbying Reflection

Today I went to the State House to lobby with the senators. This was not only my first time in the South Carolina State House, but also lobbying in general. It was definitely a memorable experience. I've had some experience with senators and members of the House of Representatives back in Maryland because I live in a small town where everyone knows one another. My mom has made a point to establish personal relationships with a handful of the politicians, so I know a few of them myself. But never have I been in the Annapolis State House lobbying with them in such a professional manner. At first I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the building itself was and how many different groups were there. We went up as a group to listen in on the senators discussing budgets and after about ten minutes I decided to fill out a card in attempt to talk to a senator about the Food in Schools Bill. I chose to try to speak to Senator Katrina Shealy for two reasons; One, she was the only female senator in South Carolina, which I admire, and two, she would be the easiest to identify because she is the only woman. I never in a million years thought that I would even get the chance to speak to her but within twenty minutes of me submitted my request she was in front of my face and we were shaking hands. I had so much that I wanted to say to her and I felt so nervous when the time actually came that I blanked on most of it. We spoke of the benefits, both for health and the local economy, and whether she was for or against the bill. She said that earlier she was on the fence but at that point she was going to sign for the bill. I know that I wasn't the determining factor, but it felt great to know that she was on board and I was one of the people trying to convince her to sign the bill. Jenni Asman, the Program Manager for the Conservation Voters of SC, came up to me after and said that Senator Shealy told her I did a great job. I'm happy that my first experience went extremely well. This is definitely the type of scene I want to be more involved in and I feel much better and eager to get out there and lobby again!

Open Blog 1- My Life and Sustainability

Before taking this class I had already been practicing environmentally friendly ways of life. I am a vegetarian who grows gardens, supports local agriculture, rescues animals, goes to protests, recycles and tries to educate others on the importance of a green way of living. My family has always given back to the environment so it was just how I was raised. This class has only furthered my interested in sustainability. It has opened my eyes to more ways to get involved in the community and how to take action even at the state level politically. I think requiring us to join Sustainable Carolina really showed me that even a little bit of teamwork focused on a green community goes a long way. I've learned so much about our justice system, agriculture, green ecology and many other environmental issues that I am able to relay that information to others and feel like I'm making an impact on someone else's life. I always feel satisfaction, and success in a way, when I go home and tell one of my friends about something I learned in class and weeks later they tell me that they've changed a habit of theirs to become greener because of what I've said. I know that majority of students taking this class have already a green mindset for the most part but this class truly educates you on the deeper meanings and effects of a non-green lifestyle. If anything I wish I took this class my first semester here so I could have been involved sooner. I think everyone at USC should get involved in environmental living and this class is a great, fun way to do so!

Blog #14 Environmental Policy

It surprises me that people are against any type of environmental policy being passed unanimously. If any type of legislation could help the environment, why wouldn't everyone be on board? I'm not that familiar with the political processes but it takes a lot longer than i would expect overall. I think the Kyoto Protocol is crucial to help protect the environment. The sooner it's passed I think the sooner the Earth will begin to replenish the natural resources that we have exploited. I think implementing environmental policy is so difficult on all different levels is because local levels have local concerns that national and international levels don't see as important. However, I think that if each local issue was placed as more of a priority then nationally and internationally the environment would benefit. Not many officials see this in my opinion. That pretty much answers the next question, of course local governments should do more for environmental policy so higher levels can see how vital these issues are. I personally would like to see policy makers put more of an emphasis on the conservation of animals and animal rights. To me, that is one of the largest issues regarding environmental policy, and with a greater focus on that, the world could be so much healthier.

Blog # 13 Ecofeminism

Before reading about ecofeminism I already shared their ideals, so after reading about it I only agreed more with ecofeminism. I have taken a few women studies classes in the past and I think the misinterpretation of gender roles is a main problem. Majority of society sees men as the provider, the protector and the leader. We have been raised with these cultural values and it is hard to change traditions. I agree that we live in a Patriarchal society that oppresses women and nature. I did not have many strong reactions to the reading and my views did not change because I was already aware of the values of ecofeminism. I see strong male figures dominating the world and as I see it changing I don't think it will ever be completely equal between men and women in my lifetime. I do however think that people should drift away from the idea that we need to move more towards a femininely dominant society. We should focus on equality between man, woman and nature. If we can't even accomplish equality between the two sexes then I don't know how we can accomplish equality between humans and nature or other species, which are seen as even more inferior than women.

Blog #12 Green Democracy

I would definitely join the Green Party; I think all aspects of green values should be incorporated into the green party. The ten key values are what make the Green Party. I particularly agree with equality amongst all people, animals and nature. I think with the growing environmental issues, the Green Party will grow as well. The have strong values in the environment, equality, non-violence and overall preserving the natural world. I would be one hundred percent on board. I think through time they will continue to gain support and eventually become a prevalent political party. However, with any movement, there comes extremists. Although I do not support the increasing industrialization and urbanization going on in the world, I do not think the actions of monkeywrenchers are justified. They can claim they are non-violent, non-revolutionary and not involved in vandalizing all they want, but at the end of the day they are destroying someone else's property that was more than likely costly without their consent or approval. It is extremely radical, but with controversial issues such as this, activists emerge and create radical solutions to radical problems. I think their intentions are honorable but they are going about creating change in a way that is just as bad as the people involved in industrialization.

Blog #11 Spiritual Ecology

I was raised as a Catholic but never really felt welcome in that religion. If I still believed in Catholicism then I don't think I would be as open to spiritual ecology since it is a converting religion. In high school I took a comparative religions course and it opened my eyes to all different spiritual views. I connected most with the Buddhist and Hindu views. They value nature more and think everything you encounter should be cherished and teach you more about yourself and he Earth. They teach to be kind to all living beings, whether it be humans, animal or nature. Our lives are gifts as is every other living being's and we are all connected and equal. This is exactly the view of spiritual ecology; we are one with nature. James Lovelock formulated the Gaia Hypothesis, basically saying that Earth is a living being that sustains itself as its environment changes. The organisms that live on Earth help sustain it, just as Earth sustains them. I agree with this hypothesis because every living organism is affected and needs one another, Earth being one of those living organisms. I definitely believe we live in a hyper-masculinized society. From the beginning of time men have always dominated. I have seen it moving more towards equality but even so, there are many people out there that do and always will see women, and all species for that matter, submissive to men.

Blog #10 Social Ecology

The readings describe social ecology as how people live and interact with the environment, putting an emphasis on diverging from over consumption and over exploitation of resources and being one with the world, as we are part of it. I think like all the ecological ways of live, it would be ideal if everyone could see the benefits of living this way, however, I know that most people won't. In our world we have many forms of hierarchy. Each nation has its own system of government and definitions of what is wealthy and poor. We create a class system that I feel came from a materialistic point of view. Every civilization has placed values on inanimate objects and determined who is "high class and low class" based on how much of these items they have. It's a way of life that has been engraved into people's brains as long as humans have existed. I don't think most people know any better so they typically see nothing wrong with it, unless they are considered "low class." Of course there are better alternatives because defining someone by their "wealth" says nothing of their character or how they can benefit others, including the Earth. If people were to let go of class systems I think the environment would thrive as well as the human race. I do think people need some sort of government and leaders to follow but I don't think we should discriminate based on material items. 

Blog #9 Deep Ecology

I would have to agree with deep ecology. It relates a lot to spiritual ecology; the Earth is a living organism, just as us. We are in a symbiotic relationship with it and without that relationship neither of us would survive. People do need to learn how to coexist. No quality in one person makes them better than any other person. If people learned to cooperate better there would be less violence, which is a main component of ecological thinking. Widening diversity will give people a better chance to work together and accept differences, which in turn will help change the environment for the better. It will take a combined effort to live in symbiosis with each other and the Earth. I feel that most people only have the views of shallow ecology, but it truly is more than that. Simply recycling and reducing pollution is not enough to sustain the environment. I really like the idea of "people being active not merely reacting." Taking a mitigating approach will keep people active and help plan for the future, not just reacting when an issue must be dealt with. Action leads to change and people are the ones who must take action. I disagree slightly with the idea of decentralization. Decentralization is a vital part of deep ecology because it once again focuses on the ideas of togetherness and cooperation, however, I think that most people need that structure and some form of a leader or leaders to guide them in the right direction. Most people are not just going to deviate from the norm and speak out against others so I think that a centralized nation helps with having a leader that will give them the confidence to take action. A major concern would be whether people are willing to give this way of life a chance and if they can become more open minded and work together. I definitely think that deep ecology relates to my life because I have the mindset already and value the principles that are the foundation of deep ecology.

Blog #8

For a census decision making group or community to work there needs to be a group of people that are willing to compromise and keep and open mind. From the readings, I learned that a main component of a functioning census based community is trust between the members. The members have to be comfortable with one another enough to accept constructive criticism. You have to break away from your fears of what others will think of your opinion and know that growing to make a decision together will make you stronger and in the end your community stronger. The article on Conflict and Consensus states, "it will not be easy to create the kind of environment where differences can be expressed without fear or resentment. But it can be done. It will require tolerance and a willingness to experiment." I feel that perfectly describes the census community mind set. You also need to write a plan of what to want the overall purposes, including the groups' principles and values. The main values of a functioning consensus community are trust, respect, unity of purpose, nonviolence, self empowerment, cooperation, conflict resolution, commitment, active participation and patience. The strengths are that there is no hierarchy because the groups decides on the best for the community and everyone can have a say on what is truly best for the community. However, the weakness in having such a community I would think that it's hard to get a group of people together and actually make decisions that benefit the community more than themselves. People are very opinionated and it's hard to put that aside and think of what's best for everyone. You really do have to trust and be comfortable with the people in your community for it to succeed.

Blog #7

Marylin Bordwell starts off by describing "uncommercials," specifically the one featured above, to introduce the topic of culture jamming. Culture jamming is technique used to get people to rethink consumerism and the affect media has on them by using rhetorical strategies. "It confronts consumption by targeting the purveyors of excess consumption and challenging them on their own turf" (Bordwell). Adbusters Media Foundation is a leading organization that practices culture jamming; they create national days where people don't watch television or use their cars, they try to undo what the media ingrains into our minds. They release "unadvertisements" in the forms of picture ads, Internet ads, magazines, newspapers, campaigns books and television commercials. I do think that it is an effective form of activism. As Bordwell states, "advertising consumes us as we consume it." People feed into what the media defines as cool or socially accepted, through the advertisements they see every day. Media creates a socially accepted norm that is constantly changing and as it does people feel the need to keep up with it in order to avoid judgement from others. It's not a healthy way to live and definitely does not make people feel great about themselves when they deviate from that norm (for the most part). With organizations like Adbusters, people can decide for themselves that they no longer want to live relying on the media for approval. Once they have someone to show them how consumed they have been, passions to make change emerge and activists are created. Although the reading talks about critiques to Adbusters and how they aren't radical enough to make change, I disagree slightly. They may not be able to make change on their own but with the support from the people they touch they could very well start a movement and progress away from a consumer society. I do think they would need an extremely large number of supporters however.

Blog #6: Spiritual Ecology

I thought the spiritual ecology readings were very insightful and inspiring. I really enjoyed reading about the different tribes that value nature and give back to it as they use its resources. I completely agreed that we are one with nature and should be more conscious of how we are treating it. I found "The Gaia Hypothesis" very interesting. The whole concept of Gaia was something I've never heard before. I thought it was insightful that the Earth was considered to be a living organism that maintains homeostasis, just as we do. I don't think majority of people would read that article and agree with its message. In the article, "Beyond Humanism, Modernity and Patriarchy," I obviously agreed that we need to understand more of how the natural world works to fully appreciate. I thought it was funny that equality has become such a large issue, especially with men, even though women are still not "invited to speak on their panels, and their conferences, or in their journals." One of the articles even said as much as much as we thrive for equality our nature has been built on a patriarchal society. Even higher, spiritual beings are portrayed as men, making women dependent on men from the start. The final reading, "Spiritual Ecology," captured my interest the most. I liked how every religion cherished the Earth and thought it was their religious duty to give back and take care of it. They did not over exploit natural resources or slaughter animals to the extent we do today. They recognized that they benefit from other living organisms (even the Earth) and they needed to sustain it. The more people try to rebel against religions and traditional views the less they will care about the environment. Unless those who rebel turn into environmental activists, we are losing so many people to non-traditional mindsets and a lack of empathy for the environment.

My ideas for leading a class based on spiritual ecology would be to have everyone discuss what their religious values are and what they were taught as they were raised about their religion and the environment. I would want them to read "Spiritual Ecology" for sure because I truly think it's an eye opener. Society today relies so much on industry and technology but as the article said, "If they can do it, so can we." Why couldn't we go back valuing what the native tribes valued? Why couldn't we take care of the Earth as people once did? This quote stuck with me and I want to know what others feel about it. "When I was small, my mother often told me that animals, insects and plants are to be treated with the kind of respect one customarily accords to high-status adults. Life is a circle, and everything has a place in it."

Blog #5

Aldo Leopold said, "[Educating people on living sustainably means] going from a conqueror of the land community to plain member and citizen of it." To me, that's the whole concept of green living. You're not the owner of the natural world, you're part of it and one with it. As was said in class, it's a symbiotic relationship that so many of us take for granted. From the readings, a green learning community consists of educating the public about the environment, not letting the actions start at the top of society. Both Orr and Caspary put an emphasis on environmental education, which I one hundred percent agree with. Without education, people are left in the dark about the state of the environment, especially for the habitats that are so far away, such as rainforests. Even the lack of knowledge the public has for the slaughtering and treatment of animals astonishes me. The methods by which most slaughterhouses kill their livestock is so unclean and the waste ends up in our oceans, effecting and killing marine species. I don't think majority of society has the slightest clue about what goes on further than local boundaries and without awareness there will be no change. To educate and show the people the truth, passions and activism will emerge within people, thus leading to the support of a green learning community and environmental changes that we need.

You would know a green learning community if you saw a group of people living in a place full of healthy, thriving plants and animals. Adults would be teaching children about the Earth and its natural gifts to us. There would be no litter or waste going into rivers and our oceans. The urbanization and industrialization would no longer exist. Just as people use the earth's resources, they would give back by planting more of what they used. People would be raising livestock to live with them not chained up in factories to be used at our disposal.

Blog #4

I think that green values should be a larger concern of most people than it truly is. In my opinion, people seem to disregard how important they are in our every day lives. As I continue to say, the environment is taken for granted by too many people. I think the "Ten Key Values of the Green Party," pretty much sums up how I feel about green values. I strongly agree with idea number seven about feminism and equality. I am a strong believer of equality, for women, minorities, animals and even the natural world. No one owns the world; our lives are sustained from it, so why don't more people make green values priorities? I will never understand people's lack of concern for the environment and how we effect it hurts us in the long run as well as this beautiful world. I also agree strongly that it is going to take a community effort and long term goals to generate results. With activism comes support' environmental activism needs all the support it can get right now. We can't keep diminishing our natural resources forever. Plans need to be set into place along with a change of everyone's mindset into "thinking green." At this point I don't see how you couldn't join this powerful movement. I definitely agree that humans were never meant to be in hierarchy. As I said, I support equality in all aspects and I don't think humans had the right to be "at the top of the chain." I think they should share the Earth with every species (whether it be plants, animals, habitats, etc.). The non-violence aspect would have to be a mindset that everyone shared, which is why I feel that it wouldn't work. I wasn't so much surprised with the articles as I was to other students' respsonses to them. After reading over some blogs I'm a little shocked that even the students in this class don't think greener at some times.

Blog #3

Within Sustainable Carolina there is a project team called Greening the Mind. I find this one the most interesting teams that they have because it inspires others to have a more "green" mindset. As I've said in previous posts, I grew up being taught to take care of the environment. I would think that having a green mindset is something that comes naturally to everyone, but I'm shocked at how many people truly don't care. For me a green mindset is more than just promoting recycling and using less energy; it's more of connecting yourself with the natural world and in a sense being one with the environment. Living a green lifestyle is really important to me. As I've said, I'm a vegetarian so I already choose healthy and green options for my diet. I studied comparative religions in high school and loved Hinduism and Buddhism. Since then I have been practicing yoga and meditation. I think the power of the ohm (peace and tranquility) can affect peoples' lives more than they think. The Greening the Mind project team focuses on all of these aspects and I think that I would right in. If I could ask Margaret Bounds one question I would ask her what made her want to get involved with sustainability. I like to hear the experiences that led people to the career paths they chose, and, especially since she cares greatly about the environment as I do, it would be nice to see what views and morals we share.

Blog #2



Hi! My name is Kristen Steiner. I'm a senior studying marine science and graduating in the spring. I attended the University of Maryland my freshman year, studying biology. I always knew I was interested in the ocean and after my first semester in college I chose to transfer the following year so I could study marine science. Before I get into my career goals I want to talk a little about myself and my background. I'm a very family oriented person. My family has been through so many hardships and I'm thankful that we came to be as close as we are. Having strong relationships is extremely important to me and I don't know what I would do without my family and my wonderful group of best friends.

I'm highly into animal, human and environmental activism. I've been a vegetarian for about seven years now and have involved myself in many animals rights groups, trying to take as much action as I can towards better treatment of them. I had two pet rats both named after cheeses; Havarti, unfortunately, passed away this past August, but Muenster is still healthy and cute as can be!

Havarti

Muenster
 



Being a vegetarian has made me actively aware of what is going on in the world with regards to the treatment of animals. This led me to see how other countries treat animals and find ways around laws created to help save the animals. For example, I am very interested in helping captive animals and banning whaling. I recently became interested in the shark fin trade. Countries, mostly Japan, are involved with the trading of shark fins in which they just cut the fins off the sharks and throw them back into the water to suffer and eventually die. They even go after sharks that are protected as endangered species but claim "they cannot tell the difference between shark species." My goal from studying marine science is to get involved in conservation and help save the animals that don't have a voice for themselves.

 

I also became interested in marine science because I care about the environment greatly. I grew up being taught to recycle and to treat the outdoors with respect. We rely entirely on our planet and its resources so I feel it's vital that we give back as much as we can. In high school I was the leader of a subgroup of the Green Team focused on river clean ups. Most of the harmful treatment of land environments make their way back to the ocean at some point and I don't thnk enough people have realized that. I've always been an outdoors person. I love to go hiking, running, swimming, kayaking, pretty much anything outside is of interest to me. I also have worked at a summer camp for four years; this past year I was the assistant director. I love educating children about the outdoors so that when they grow up they will care about the environment and sustaining it.

 

My final hobby would be arts and crafts, I know that sounds a bit childish but I love to paint and create decorative crafts to give to friends or put around my apartment. I've done a lot of glass painting and recently painted a cooler. It's a great way to relieve stress and express my creative side. Another way I like to destress is to practice yoga and meditation. Below are some pictures of my artwork that I've done recently.










Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope this helped you get to know me a little more!







Blog #1

I think this course will further my experience with working in groups and will be a great opportunity to get involved in the USC community. I’m a marine science major and care greatly about the environment, specifically bettering it. I expect this course to give me more experience towards environmental activism and taking charge towards promoting a healthy environment. I hope my actions during my green action projects and community building will inspire others that don’t care as much about the environment to switch directions. Green politics interests me because I believe that the only way to create change is to take action. Too many people take our world and its natural resources for granted. Not enough people give back to the environment because they are too busy exploiting it for all its worth. I've grown up being taught to help sustain the environment and now that I’m at an age that I am capable of making a difference, I want to. I want to explore about recycling and preventing littering, since most of that litter will end up in our oceans and harming marine environments, plants and animals. I have never heard of ecofeminism before the first day of this class so I looked it up and I have an interest in learning more about that too. I think environmental issues are similar to women’s rights issues in a sense that both require action to make a difference. I think this class will educate me on current environmental issues and help me make a difference in the world at some point in my future.