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Kevin Champion

Ideas for research? - 103 views

Yeah, I don´t like that either. I think partially it is designed that way so that you can reply to any post on in the thread of the forum, rather than just being able to reply to the most recent. ...

started by Adam Bohannon on 17 Aug 07 5 follow-ups, last by Kevin Champion on 28 Aug 07
Adam Bohannon

Talcott Parsons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Talcott_Parsons

parsons sociology theory

shared by Adam Bohannon on 08 Dec 07 - Cached
  • Parsons developed his ideas during a period when systems theory and cybernetics were very much on the front burner of social and behavioral science. In using systems thinking, he postulated that the relevant systems treated in social and behavioral science were "open," meaning that they were embedded in an environment consisting of other systems. For social and behavioral science, the largest system is "the action system," consisting of interrelated behaviors of human beings, embedded in a physical-organic environment.
  • To survive or maintain equilibrium with respect to its environment, any system must to some degree adapt to that environment, attain its goals, integrate its components, and maintain its latent pattern, a cultural template of some sort. These are called the system's functional imperatives.
Adam Bohannon

Americans Care More About Gay Marriage Than Global Warming (TreeHugger) - 0 views

www.treehugger.com/...americans_care.php

environment gaymarriage politics

shared by Adam Bohannon on 29 Aug 07 - Cached
  • 1) Americans overwhelmingly believe that global warming is occurring. 2) They don't care. "dealing with global warming" came 20th out of 23 policy priorities. 3) They won't give anything up. The cost of energy is more important than global warming.
  • Kevin Champion on 04 Sep 07
     
    I think it is funny too how faddy even belief in global warming and feigned care for the environment is becoming. I mean, literally over the course of 2-3 years we have gone from "global warming, what?" to "global warming, yeah that´s gonna screw us over". In a lot of ways I feel global warming has become the new excuse for things that go awry in the world. Especially funny to me are the people who do claim to care and are worried, but do not think about or make any lifestyle changes.
Adam Bohannon

World Bank accused of razing Congo forests | Environment | The Guardian - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...congo.forests

anthropology business economics exploitation globalization worldbank

shared by Adam Bohannon on 04 Oct 07 - Cached
  • · An area of 600,000 square kilometres (232,000 square miles) of forest was earmarked for logging companies.· The bank failed to address critical social and environmental issues.
  • The World Bank encouraged foreign companies to destructively log the world's second largest forest, endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese Pygmies, according to a report on an internal investigation by senior bank staff and outside experts. The report by the independent inspection panel, seen by the Guardian, also accuses the bank of misleading Congo's government about the value of its forests and of breaking its own rules.
  • It ignored between 250,000 and 600,000 Pygmies believed to be living in the Congolese forests, even though their presence was well known and documented.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Criticism is made of the forestry reforms that the bank imposed in return for loans of more than $450m. Initially, said the panel, "the bank provided [to the government] estimates of export revenue from logging concessions that turned out to be far too high. This encouraged a focus on reform of the forestry system at the expense of pursuing sustainable uses of forests, the potential for community forests and for conservation.
  • In a scathing analysis of the bank's economic reasoning, the panel said the bank had "distorted the real economic value of the country's forests" by looking solely at the tax and revenue that increased industrial logging might generate. "There seems to have been little action to support alternative uses of the forest resources," it said.
  • The panel travelled deep into the forest to take evidence from the Pygmy communities, who told it they were not consulted before the bank launched its wide-ranging forestry reforms.
Kevin Champion

Community - 100 views

The idea would be to Create community. Not community online. The online part is just a potential enhancement. One that does not currently exist here, and perhaps in very few places. The online ...

community integral

started by Kevin Champion on 11 Jul 07 7 follow-ups, last by Kevin Champion on 28 Aug 07
Kevin Champion

At $1 per Watt, the iTunes of Solar Energy Has Arrived | SolveClimate.com - 0 views

www.solveclimate.com/...tunes-solar-energy-has-arrived

environment tech

shared by Kevin Champion on 21 Dec 07 - Cached
  • A Silicon Valley start-up called Nanosolar shipped its first solar panels -- priced at $1 a watt. That's the price at which solar energy gets cheaper than coal. Curious that this story is not on every front page.
  • While other companies have been focusing their efforts on increasing the efficiency of solar panels, Nanosolar took a different approach. It focused on manufacturing.
  • Nanosolar has developed proprietary process technology that makes it possible to produce 100x thinner solar cells 100x faster.
Kevin Champion

Top 10 Tips for Renters : ENERGY STAR - 0 views

www.energystar.gov/index.cfm

environment

shared by Kevin Champion on 14 Aug 07 - Cached
    • Kevin Champion
      Kevin Champion on 14 Aug 07
       
      My question is, why don´t we as renters have rights to request greater energy efficiency from our landlords? Especially for students in Manhattan, KS, of whom a large number rent old, outdated homes that have had little or no repairs in 30 years. I have been following each of these tips at least to the extent they recommend, if not more so, and I still pay out the ass in utilities. At what point do we, as a society, deem energy inefficiency to violate safety and thus to be against code? Could there be government subsidies allocated for this purpose? Especially since those worse off economically are going to be stuck in the least energy efficient homes, thus furthering their financial burden. Wes Jackson once outlined that efficiency actually increases usage. By this account, it is easy to see why. Those who have, get more efficient, so they can have more.
  • Don't over dry your clothes. If your dryer has a moisture sensor that will automatically turn the machine off when clothes are done, use it to avoid over drying. Remember to clean the lint trap before every load. Dry full loads, or reduce drying time for partial loads.
  • Considering purchasing a room air conditioner? Consider an ENERGY STAR qualified model. They use at least 10 percent less energy than standard models.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Lighting is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. Replacing your five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR qualified lights can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) provide high-quality light output, use less energy, and last 6–10 times longer than standard incandescent light bulbs, saving money on energy bills and replacement costs.
  • Top 10 Tips for Renters!
  • If possible, install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home's temperature settings when you're away or sleeping.
  • Wash your laundry with cold water whenever possible. To save water, try to wash full loads or, if you must wash a partial load, reduce the level of water appropriately.
  • Consumer electronics play an increasingly larger role in your home's energy consumption, accounting for 15 percent of household electricity use. Many consumer electronics products use energy even when switched off. Electronics equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR helps save energy when off, while maintaining features like clock displays, channel settings, and remote-control functions.
  • Make sure all air registers are clear of furniture so that air can circulate freely. If your home has radiators, place heat-resistant reflectors between radiators and walls. In the winter, this will help heat the room instead of the wall.
  • A ten minute shower can use less water than a full bath.
  • Save water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them before loading in the dishwasher. Run your dishwasher with a full load and use the air-dry option if available.
  • During cold weather, take advantage of the sun's warmth by keeping drapes open during daylight hours. To keep out the heat of the summer sun, close window shades and drapes in warm weather.
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