World Overshoot Day
brianlux
Posts: 42,055
A very sobering article and not a day to celebrate. Don't mean to be a downer here but I do think this is worth reading and reflecting on:
http://www.livescience.com/39014-oversh ... lanet.html
Overshoot Day: Living too Large on a Finite Planet
August 20, 2013, marks Earth Overshoot day— the estimated date when the people on Earth have used up the planet's annual supply of renewable natural resources and reached its carbon-absorbing capacity. After that point, people are using more than the planet can sustain. It's a one-day reminder of a year-round problem — humans are living too large on a finite planet.
You probably have a general sense of why. The human population continues to grow. People are consuming more and more resources. And we still have only one planet.
http://www.livescience.com/39014-oversh ... lanet.html
Overshoot Day: Living too Large on a Finite Planet
August 20, 2013, marks Earth Overshoot day— the estimated date when the people on Earth have used up the planet's annual supply of renewable natural resources and reached its carbon-absorbing capacity. After that point, people are using more than the planet can sustain. It's a one-day reminder of a year-round problem — humans are living too large on a finite planet.
You probably have a general sense of why. The human population continues to grow. People are consuming more and more resources. And we still have only one planet.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
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I do my best..
I like that, ajedigecko. It goes along with, "I only own my mind."
Yes, I'm very concerned about this issue- some might say a bit obsessed but if I am, it's because I'm old enough and have spent enough time exploring the outdoors and studying nature to have witnessed the world change. I guess I'm lucky to have been able to see the world in a healthier state and would like to see as much of nature preserved for future generations as possible. One of my favorite favorite nature/environmental authors is Bill McKibben. In 1989 he published a very pivotal book called The End of Nature in which he warned us of the dramatic changes he foresaw. That book was sort of the environmental equivalent of a social book like 1984 or Brave New World. We didn't listen very well and ended up with the mess we're in now with anthropogenically exacerbated massive species loss, climate change/global warming, loss of habitat, dying oceans and an overall increase in pollutants in the sea, soil and air. Rather than throw up his hands and say, "I quit!", McKibben (amongst many others, of course) has continued to work to educate and champion environmental causes. In 2010, McKibben wrote what many believe to be his second most important book, Eaarth. The spelling is correct. McKibben believes that the world he (and I) grew up in has been so irreversibly altered as to warrant a new name- Eaarth. But Eaarth is not all doom and gloom. In his book, McKibben lays out strategies to reduce our impact in order to slow and, hopefully, reverse some of the damage we are done in order to help provide a better world for our kids. If I were still teaching, I would be using this book- at least a the high school level. I've recommend McKibbens books to other teachers. One in particular (an instructor at The Citadel of all places) used a book of McKibben's that I recommended, Enough, with much success and positive response from his students.
lcusick, it seems to me that you've already done much to be an advocate for environmental causes by being a excellent example yourself and by being a conscientious, caring teacher. Thank you! I'm always thrilled to hear about good, conscientious teachers out there. You are not alone- here on this forum there are others (including some other fine teachers) working hard to make a difference. I hope some of them (both teachers and others) will chime in with more thoughts and ideas.
the best thing you can teach your kids is to think critically ... to question the information and to use their own brains to formulate opinions ... if you are teaching them the be stewards of the planet - they need to ask why and they need to know why ...
the problem with the environmental movement is simply that the issue has become politicized and in essence people no longer are capable of thinking critically ... people are basing their opinions on the issues based on partisan agendas and that only works when one is not capable of thinking for themselves and coming to their own proper conclusions ...
sustainability and environmental protection always is the prudent choice regardless of how you look at it ... i convinced a predominantly conservative executive team at my job to adopt a sustainability position not because they cared but because it saved them money ... thees days - so many people think environmentalists are just using some made up cause to increase gov't control ... so absurd ...
I always present my students with many sources of informationn and let them formulate their own opinions- I am, however, passionate about taking care of our planet, so it is hard for that passion not to be reflected in my teaching. They are in high school, so they do have their own minds- teenagers do for sure!!!
Wonderful! Would love to here how it goes- what your students make of it.
Best wishes and thank you for good work teaching!