LCENVS

"Rampant unemployment, rising food prices, a collapsed housing market, ballooning debt -- to Jeremy Rifkin, the American economist and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends , these are not simply symptoms of a temporary economic malaise. Rather, they are signs that the current world order -- long infused with and defined by fossil fuels -- is collapsing around us."

Got the time to read an 81 page report from the USDA Economic Research Service? Perhaps not, but it could be worth the time. An information/research heavy look into the economics of a variety of food systems. Given the argument that sustainable agriculture won't be truly embraced until it can feasibly compete with industrial agriculture models, the information here could be very interesting. I've only just started to dive in, but so far its promising, as government reports go.

Also, for the record, two things worth checking out: there is a report summary, and a full report, though the summary offers little surprising information. There is also a case study on blueberries specific to Portland.

Very cool article on the particular weather patterns of the Willamette Valley and how they can nurture (or wreak havoc with) its vineyards.

Did Ecuador's President Correa quash or fester a coup with his recent bold actions?  Or was it even a coup attempt?  Such is the debate in Ecuador, and it behooves us to remember what political stability and instability mean in terms of environmental protection-or anything else, for that matter.

"About 80% of the world's population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure, according to a new global analysis." This article addresses a new study published in "Nature" that is looking at patterns of global water stress. It weighs the benefits of the western approach (damns, canals, etc...) against more integrated, "natural" approaches such as preserving wetlands and floodplains. The centerpiece of the study is a great example of GIS mapping on a global scale.

Using technology as a teaching tool increases productivity in higher learning.  Bill Gates is throwing money at increasing technology especially at community colleges.  He refers to technology as "your only hope." 

This article looks at what Chicago is doing to push their development in the green direction. This falls under progressive ecological modernization. It is particularly interesting examining this development in a city that one would more readily associate with the historically negative side of industrialization (birthplace of the skyscraper)

I went to one of their community information meetings in downtown Portland last year and it was very interesting. This group is very locally oriented and stresses community sharing and sustainability here in Portland. Some of their projects include ride shares, supporting local business, growing your own food and sharing the excess, worm composting, etc. Very much started from and follows the views of Localism. It is a way to connect to others in Portland to share ideas, rides, a helping hand, etc. Localism in effect.

This is an introduction/ quick history of ecofeminism from the perspectives of a few different ecofeminists. The page also includes links to further resources.

lcenvsfall220 A description of the idea of Ecospirituality with a focus on holistic nursing and healing.

This relates to my critique of Walmart's claim that they're "working towards zero waste." I assumed no report would actually encompass the true effect of their product, but it seems like I was wrong. Granted, Walmart is not on the list of companies participating in the study, but they do sell products by some of the participating companies. "The term life cycle refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's existence. The sum of all those steps is the life cycle of the product. The concept also can be used to optimize the environmental performance of a single product."

If there's one reason I would have agreed with Julie Guthman about consumer choices not being the solution, it's because of this: Greenwashing. I'm just gonna go ahead and put this out there. I hate advertisers so much.

You may've seen this short bloody movie about cutting carbon already, but it's worth checking out the debate over it…I personally am a sucker for Monty Pythonesque Brit humor, but it wasn't made by Monty Python to spoof climate fundamentalism, in fact rather the opposite, and that's what makes it so weird.

Now this is very interesting, if not particularly surprising. The US military has begun pushing for the development of renewable energy sources that can be readily deployed in battlefield situations and remote locations where traditional fossil fuels are prohibitively scarce. Trucking fuel to outposts and encampments in Afghanistan can be dangerous: "...for every 24 fuel convoys that set out, one soldier or civilian engaged in fuel transport was killed. " It is also extremely expensive. The US military buys fuel for around $1 a gallon, but shipping that fuel can easily cost hundreds of dollars per gallon. Taking those transport costs into account, the high initial costs of investing in renewable energy are put into perspective. The US navy has begun to experiment with ships that run on electricity at lower speeds, as well as jets that use mixtures of conventional and bio-fuels. It is likely the "experts" say, that development of these technologies for military use will lead to more affordable civilian versions.

This Halloween, instead of giving free burritos to those dressed as a burrito, Chipotle is selling $2 burritos to those dressed as a "horrifying processed food" such as the models on the website as chicken nuggets and dipping sauce. This is interesting because a large corporation like Chipotle is speaking out against processed food.

There is a concern whether or not this years set backs for the biotech company (famous for use of GMOs) Monsanto shows a downward trend of creating genetically engineered crops.

This entry in the "Green" blog section of the New York Times talks about the progression of lighting products and their efficiency. For the most part it focuses on the movement from fluorescent lights to LED lights which are slightly more efficient. This movement relates to the idea of modernization and technological development as being a positive feature in addressing environmental issues.

The military essentially suddenly decided to use renewable energy out in the field, mostly in Afghanistan because transporting fuel is dangerous there. They used mostly civilian technology but the mass use should bring the cost down and with more scientists updating it the technology will also get better.

Law professor / futurist Joel Garreau on, well, environmentalism as religion.

"When Walmart announced on Monday that it would install 15 megawatts' worth of solar arrays on as many as 30 of its stores in California and Arizona, it set out to shape the solar market in more ways than one." Good or bad? Part of me feels like this is fine, "great I'm glad they're helping out." But part of me is also very nervous about this. I dont know if I like the idea of Walmart "green coating" their business. I think we're planning on talking about this in class Thursday.