Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Bubbles (again) and giving up...

I read this very telling article from the BBC a couple of days ago which talked about the impact of loss of nature, ecosystems and biodiversity on our economies, based on how they are currently structured. Here is a little summary:

What has compelled us to continue with such behaviour? Unfortunately, our ethics are to blame. Our human-centric ethics encourage us to do all we can to have knowledge and control over the forces of nature, and modify them in ways that are "convenient" to us. In the process, the rights of other sentient and non-sentient beings get trampled upon. Steiner's point is exactly in line with my last post - we view our society and humanity as the served, and nature as the servant, and in the process of separating ourselves from our servant, we have lost respect for it.
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I want to congratulate the Student Sustainability Initiative for a hugely successful Provost's Teaching Seminar on Sustainability. The seminar had around 300 professors attend, the goal of which was how each discipline can and must incorporate environmentally-, socially-, and sustainability-related philosophies into the classroom. This success would not have been possible without SSI's enthusiasm and determination.
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Think about what you do on a day-to-day basis. What do you eat? What do you drink? Where do you buy things from? Do you double-cup at Starbucks? Now, think of what you might be willing to give up to lessen your impact on nature. Is there anything you're willing to give up? Have you given anything up before? Tell me your thoughts...

2 comments:

  1. I gave up the clothes dryer. Now I use a solar powered linear evaporator.

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  2. Hey Darshan! I think I finally figured out how to post on here! (I sent you one last night, then it got deleted. haha)

    I'm on the verge of giving up my car, when I move next month. I would be challenged to give up my food choices, especially regards to packaging. I'll share more ideas with you on the concept of waste next time I see you. I've been thinking a lot about it!

    Lastly, I'd like to direct you to the factsheets I am working on in the Center for Sustainable Systems. Of particular interest to you might be the Biodiversity and Municipal Solid Waste factsheets we've created, a one-stop location of U.S. trends and info on those topics.

    Check them out at:
    css.snre.umich.edu/facts

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