Midterm Evaluation

I'll make this short - thus far I am loving this class! As we discussed earlier in the semester, it helps fill an existing void in the Environmental Studies program, namely, the lack of human/environment-related courses. This being said, no course can achieve its optimal level without a little constructive criticism, so here is my two cents.

I love the ideas of the Critical Thinking sheets, because it demands of us to do some research in places that we might not otherwise look. That being said, I feel like they are sometimes lacking a goal and then in class they are not discussed enough in a manner by which we learn much more about the topic, other than peoples' opinions about their findings. I would love it if, in conjunction with the assignment, we were assigned a couple articles or studies that explain either one facet of or the general concern around the issue we are critically thinking about. I do enjoy that the workload is not particularly heavy, but I wouldn't mind a few readings added on top of things to help illustrate our conversations and get everyone on the same page. Essentially, can we bump up the educational component regarding the issues we discuss in class?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Climate change is for real. We have just a small window of opportunity and it is closing rather rapidly. There is not a moment to lose." — Dr. Rajendra Pachauri

Blog Action Day - A Digital Lens on Climate Change

As we all know; climate change is perhaps the most pressing issue of our time, yet people still seem to be facing obstacles to action including disbelief, deferred responsibility, and ignorance. Here are a couple of interesting videos that aim to remedy this ignroance:

Connections

College is a microcosm of interacting social circles. One of the things that I took from high school was the enjoyment of floating around between a good number of the circles of people. At Tufts, the circles, of course, are for greater in variety, size and influence, but nevertheless I have found my way into a number which could be very useful outreaches in trying to influence the student body.

Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO):
This is perhaps one of my best resources; it's a group of almost 100 like-minded individuals that are connected to almost every corner of Tufts in some way or another. Being the outdoorsy types, they are also generally receptive to environmental issues which is perfect for our course AND they are very active and responsive e-list and e-mail threads that could mobilize all 100+ people in a very short time.

Tufts Mountain Club (TMC):
TMC and TWO are very closely linked (there is a lot of cross-over between the two groups,) but since TMC reaches a much broader base of people, many of whom are also eco-minded individuals, and could be very effective and influential and amassing people to be behind a program.

Hillel Moral Voices
Moral Voices is a part of Hillel that picks a topic each year to focus on concerning an issue of contemporary moral concern (last year was Environmental Justice; this year is Education.) Thus with direct links to people high up in the Hillel program, it is a valuable connection have. Hillel is very well- established and funded and reaches a huge number of students on campus, who may be more inclined to participate in something that is supported by Hillel.

Tufts Ballroom Dance:
I am a tri-captain of the Ballroom Dance team. Although we rarely use the e-lists and practice to advocate issues other than ballroom, we have over 70 active members at the moment and over 300 people on our e-list, both alumni and current students. It is a large resource which could very easily be taken advantage of. This could also have implications in the greater Drama/Dance department.

Bay Area Pride:
There are a TON of students from the SF Bay Area and those form the class of 2012 have formed a reasonably tight connection surrounding our shared roots. Although not a formal organization, nor something with a set e-list, it is a groupable set of people who are active in the community and very accustomed to the activist image of San Francisco.

Swimming and Diving Team:
I am also, currently, a member of the Men's Varsity Diving team. This group of individuals is certainly an enthusiastic one, although sometime the results of this enthusiasm are more similar to a frat. Nevertheless, the 40+ members of the men's team and 40+ members of the women's team represent a diverse set of people that, like TWO, have very active e-lists that could lead to easily spreadable information and potentially quick action in response. Also, a huge number of these folks are in the frat ATO, which could mean a Greek connection as well.

These are the biggest groups of connections that I can think of - there definitely other, smaller sets of connections (friends, hallmates, etc.) that could be reached out to. I think that such a diverse set of connections will be really helpful in disseminating information and raises enthusiasm for our cause. Once we nail down the details, I won't hesitate to call on them!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet. ~Brooke Medicine Eagle

Social Marketing

The world of social marketing is far more complicated than I could have imagined it to be; I thought, "Obviously, it involved using social psychological factors in crafting a marketing scheme." I guess, essentially, that IS what it is, but the depth and completeness of its methodology is daunting. Either way, it is a fascinating look at the way in which to create behavioral change in a thorough and sustaining way. As we discussed in the steps to creating creating a habit, it appears that social marketing uses techniques from all angles to consciously and subconsciously exact a change that is continual after the marketing campaign has stopped - exchange an old habit for a new one, but all in the style of a drawn-out and in depth process that takes time. This distinguishes a social marketing campaign from an ad blitz on TV or other mass media.

In thinking about potential social marketing campaigns that could be initiated around Tufts, one that I thought up in a brainstorming sesh with Rachael was the use of reusable beverage containers:

--> Travel Mugs:
These are great - they allow for transport of steamy, energy-giving beverages and often can even be used as a fashion statement. But what incentive is there to lug around and clean a mug when it is so easy to use and throw out the paper cup they give you? To remedy this, some sort of campaign that rewards the use of travel mugs would be good - maybe a discount on coffee. On top of that, an advertising campaign extolling the virtues of using travel mugs and access to a greater variety of cool mugs in the bookstore might factor in as components of a good social marketing scheme.

--> Ceramic Mugs:
Suppose, though, that you don't intend on taking your coffee anywhere, but prefer to sit at a table in the Rez or some other cafe? Travel mugs aside, offering ceramic cups and mugs for hit drinks could greatly reduce the levels of paper waste (at the cost of high water use) and improve the ambiance of sitting in one of these cafes - nothing is better than sitting with a good book and a steaming cup of tea, that warms the palms of your hands as you hold it. Using similar techniques like rewarding those who use the more permanent drink vessels and creating an ad campaign to address the waste of disposable cups is something that seems very feasible.

Old Habits Don't Die as Hard as I Thought...

Last week I devoted myself to becoming an eternal member of the "Clean Plate Club," and, as far as I am concerned, it has been surprisingly easy to follow through on! By and large I have eaten all the food that I have taken onto my plate (and occasionally avoid using trays - thanks Rachael.)

Admittedly there have been a few slip-ups...like when it was "Local Harvest Festival" night at Dewick and I was so overexcited about the abundance of local apple and squash-based foods that I overindulged. Nevertheless, even though I didn't end up finishing everything, I did try my best to put back as much as I could...By the end, rather than the normal food baby, I was feeling like Food Octomom.

It is hard to create specific reminders and strategies for avoiding the taking of too much food - it's not like I can leave a reminder at the stack of plates in Dewick or set a timer of sorts. Essentially, I have to use internally motivated self-restraint. The best tool that I can use when I am feeling like cutting corners is to get my friends on board. And they are happy to do so. I am regularly reminded by them to make sure I clean my plate. At the same time, they usually like to brag to me when they do so before myself. When they call my out for trying to cut corners, I feel almost embarrassed - I guess that would be the cognitive dissonance talking - and since there is no way for me to rationalize my cheating when they are there doing what I should be doing, I end up pushing through and putting back those last couple bites. That kills two birds with one stone: change my habits and begin to change theirs, too!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn." - Author Unknown

Habit is Overcome by Habit

The opportunity to sit back and analyze ourselves is one often passed up in the hectic and crazy lifestyles that we maintain today, yet it's also something important if we expect to continue to improve ourselves. The assignment here is to pick a habit and break it - not exactly an easy task. When I went into my me-time therapy session, it was hard at first to narrow down my view to a small habit. Of course the largest and most difficult to overcome made themselves glaringly obvious; so, it took more time to find a small habit to break. At first I told myself that I had already broken most of my own small bad habits, but as I continued to reflect I saw that this was not the case.

So, after hours of contemplation and numerous consultations with peers, the habit I have decided to break is (drum roll, please): taking too much food at meals and then leaving a lot behind. Yes, my goal is to become a perpetual member of the "Clean Plate Club." Especially in the large cafeterias on campus, the prospect of all sorts delicious foods often makes my eyes bigger than my stomach. I will get a heaping plate of food, often leaving a fair portion behind, whether because I took too much or I took a large portion of something I didn't know if I liked. Either way, to leave that much food behind is a problem both from an environmental and a social justice standpoint. Extra food that might have been put to better use instead gets tossed (albeit composted in the dining halls.) Additionally, more food sometimes means extra bowls and plates, which require more water and energy in their cleaning.

I think that this is a habit that might not die hard, but all I can do is try my best, and hopefully, with some self restraint, I will be able to overcome the inner fat kid in me and take only what I will eat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate out mastery - not over nature, but of ourselves." - Rachel Carson (1962)

Introducing My Eco Self

Our first assignment for class was to introduce our "eco-alter egos" to our those we spend most of our time with. As I understand it, the introduction is the first step into changing our own habits, and what better way to do so than to begin picking on others' eco-offending actions. Here is how the first interaction with a long table of my friends went:

Alex: "So guys, for my Environmental Action class, I need to assume, for at least the semester, a new "Eco-Identity" meaning that I will be more conscious about actions which harm and benefit the environment, and I will also be on your guys' case about the same things."
Friends (2 synonymously): "But you already do that!"

Ok, so maybe I already get on the case of my peers and family about living an eco-friendly lifestyle. Last year I helped my RA make signs for the bathroom reminding people to turn off the lights, made my family switch over ever household lightbulb available to CFLs and led a couple of my friends to consistently unplug their chargers and turn off their power strips when not in use. To my nagging, I recieved a number of reactions - sometimes people would respond with sighs and rolled eyes; "here he goes again about the environment..." Other times I would get guilt-ridden responses and confessions about how they KNOW that they should do this or that, but are just too lazy or busy most of the time. And then sometimes, as when I announced my "new" eco-identity, I get people volunteering the things they DO do. One friend replied soon after, "Well, look! I am not using a tray! And I started being vegetarian over the summer!" I always do find it interesting the varied responses I get.

Now that I have an assignment to be on people's cases, my cause is validated and I now longer have to worry about shying away from it at times when I am uncertain about whether to speak up - "My teacher told me to." Albeit, I am not going to play Captain Planet and go on an environmental crusade, but I'll find ways of suggesting something here or reminding someone there. This is a challenge I definitely look forward to!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964