WE are (eco)-sparta

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Debate: MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY



Hi guys, check out this link to a debate questioning our efforts to reduce carbon emissions (alternative energy, measuring footprints) has any value on helping the environment. The actual debate is part of a series by a legit debate show "intelligence squared" which gathers world famous leaders to speak before the audience. Although it is two years old, it still brings many good arguments.

Link: http://intelligencesquaredus.org/index.php/past-debates/major-reductions-in-carbon-emissions-are-not-worth-the-money/

The debate is rather long, and after all introductions actually begins at 6:45, so just scrub there.

"Intelligence squared" does a very good job when it chooses its speakers by picking those who may seem biased on one side to argue another. In this debate, one of the speakers is an environmental writer from environmental capital Copenhagen, Denmark who argues AGAINST reducing carbon emissions because he believes the efforts overweigh the effects.

The speakers are very interesting. The audience is surveyed before and after the debate, with the winning debate team being the one that has convinced the most people in the audience to change their minds.

If you look at the results for this debate:

Pre-Debate Poll Results
16% For | 50% Against | 35%

Post Debate Poll Results
42% For | 48% Against | 10%

Note that "For" is the agreement that MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY, while "Against" is that major reductions are worth the money.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Treehugger debate: ON THE GRID OR OFF?



Because reducing waste is still such a hazy science, there is a lot of skepticism around whether or not anything we do reduces our impact on the environment. Or, on the contrary, does the effort used to produce these environmental changes create more waste? We bring you a piece of such debates from www.treehugger.com, where a debate was broadcast over their radio on whether or not more waste is created when living in the city or living in rural area. Thus the question is it better to live on the grid or off?

To listen to the podcast, listen to the link -> CLICK HERE <- According to some arguments as in the diagram below,city life decreases waste by using less transportation. The flipside argument holds that while traveling less, city dwellers are larger consumers creating a larger demand for items, thus wasting more oil, packaging, resources etc.






The root article can be found here: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/treehugger-radio-podcast-in-the-city-or-off-the-grid-lloyd-alter-nick-rosen-debate.php

The debate is held between two speakers, treehugger.com's Lloyd Alter and editor of offgrid.com, Nick Rosen

LISTEN TO THE RAINFOREST

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/the-sounds-of-v/

Hi guys! This is very interesting, a link about a guy who recorded sounds from disappearing land in the rainforest. Click on the link to hear sounds from forests in Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, etc. that are disappearing as habitats! There is actually a specific field for this work, called acoustic ecology. :D

Monday, March 21, 2011

GLW LETTER, (draft)

Accomplished 3/21/11, TO BE CONTINUED

To whom this may concern,
We are writing on behalf of the Environmental Club at Amity High School. *This winter, we conducted a campaign promoting the use of environmentally friendly materials in our school cafeteria. Our purpose was to minimize plastic waste and increase awareness about the negative effects of disposable plastics. *To make “Green Lunch Week” possible, we partnered with Amity Principal Charles Britton and head of cafeteria Joan Conant.
With sponsorship from the Amity administration, we were able to purchase two weeks worth of environmentally friendly products for our cafeteria. These products included: biodegradable sporks, trays, and knives, as well as recycled napkins, paper boats, and compostable salad containers.

- Of more than nine hundred students…………..
After Green Lunch Week concluded, we surveyed the student population on its response to our campaign. A random sampling of more than nine hundred students was taken to gauge student support for the cause. Of these 956 students who responded, 67% buy lunch from the school cafeteria. 69% of lunch buyers buy on a weekly to daily basis. Although we did not survey everyone in the school, the responses which we received serve as an accurate representation of the student body as a whole.
For many students, the central argument against environmentally friendly products concerned the sporks, which students found inconvenient and inefficient.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Dont' be bought by frauds: Greenwashing

Hello, here is an interesting radio program by Canada's CBC (like our NPR.) In a part of their series "The Age of Persuasion," it gives an overview over the use of false 'green' advertising to sell products. e.g. GREENWASHING

http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=1705775233

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Check this out!

This show is very interesting. I saw first saw it on Netflix, because it's available to watch for free online or on Roku, Xbox, etc. There is one episode where he visits a school, too.

http://www.lazyenvironmentalist.com/

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Some important dates for Amity Environmental Club Members

Hey! Here are some important dates coming up!

March 8th- meeting after school
March 22nd- world water day, raise awareness on the importance of water and how it is limited/being polluted
March 26th- Earth hour, from 8:30-9:30 turn off all electricity!
April 22nd, lets see how much green awareness we can spread!