Dr. Thompson--Oil

The only thing that really ever came to mind when the subject oil came up was that it kills many animals and plants each year by oil spills. Obviously I have not been well informed. I never realized how much of our everyday use is possible by a series of chemicals which creates oil. The most unusual fact that surprised me was that humans and a lot of creatures contain oil. It might just be me but that’s weird. The whole process of extracting and transporting oil is extremely interesting and is amazing what natural resources that our ecosystems provide for us. Maybe I missed this point but if we out way coal and oil disaster which one is of greater harm and occurs more? If anyone can answer this question please write me back.

Joe Maderios--Sustainability

I was happy to finally have a lecture on sustainability because it has been a major concern of mine for a long time. It was very alarming to here the statistics of a typical day in the world. The main number that caught my attention was the 116 miles squared of rainforest that is destroyed everyday. What!? At that rate I am surprised that there is any forest left and no wonder our biodiversity is in such a critical state. Our generations to come are relying on us to sustain our resources and be more conscientious about how much we abuse consumption. If not there will sure be many larger hurtles that they themselves will be forced to deal with at a much more critical point then we are now. During this economic hardship it is so important for us to sustain our economy by reusing all materials so that we can conserve what we have left.

Jane Haproff

It was really interesting to me to look at the different religions and there aspect of the environment. Although I am not religious I can relate and except a number of views from the different areas of the world. I found it interesting that Judaism seems to view the value of life and nature as closely to my view as possible. I will now apologize for anyone that I offend right now. However, I do not agree with the view of Catholics and Christians. Just based on information provided for me they both view the earth that it was made for us to be here and when the resources are up it is our time to go to heaven. I guess I might not have all the information that is out there and don’t fully understand the concept but if anyone knows please let me know!

Frank DeCourten

Well I was pretty surprised to have my earth science lab teacher as a guest speaker. I always enjoy his lectures so this one was no different except we have not discussed climate change yet. His lecture was more terrifying then anything. I know that we can not change the impact that we as humans have caused but we can begin to do things differently. Although, it seems that to educate everyone and to come to a consensus about the changes that need to be made could almost never happen at this rate. It’s sad to think that some species will not be able to survive the impact that we have all made on this planet. Like Frank stated it is too late for some effects to be avoided. The scariest thought is that is as long as the atmosphere is heating the ice in the artic will continue to melt at three times the rate that it reproduces and due to the perma-frost releasing the strongest green house gas, methane, which accelerates the rate of warming. This will ultimately be the cause of the non-existence of the Greenland ice cap. It will all end in a domino effect that will over take the world and will be the end of our world eventually.

Lynn Madeiros

I extremely enjoyed the lecture given by Lynn Madeiros on Matter of Fact vs. Matters of Value. I was highly surprised that I really had to think critically when it came to most of the questions. She really makes you think twice before you start an argument! I now understand what the difference between the two is and how to approach an argument. You take a position on a certain subject and support it with facts. One must fully understand both sides of an argument to be able to truly know their position. I honestly have always thought that an opinion was basis enough for an argument but is now sadly set straight. Some of the arguments that I look back on were completely irrelevant. I have learned so much just in that one lecture and will happy use it when I find myself in an argument. I hope that I get the chance to take one her classes because I believe that it would be a very interesting and insightful class.

Viewpoint Environment

My view point of the environment has changed since I have started this class. As a child, I grew up in the wilderness interacting with the environment on a daily basis. To this day I still live in the woods on Nevada County. It was my playground and my get away form real life. I was able to imagine manzanita boshes as forts and where rocks would my telephone to communicate with the outside world. My parents always had me out camping, backpacking, and hiking throughout my entire life. I learned the values of how to care for the environment when I am “visiting” it as my dad would say. However, I never really knew how much our species depends on the earth. My father has always very utilitarian and has been an activist for the environment since I was born but I never seemed to care or listen to what he had to say. He is a person that will be able to sustain himself if the world resources came to an end.

Now when it comes down to my teachers, there were very few and far between that took us outside to interact. Most of them, I think, believe that outside time is for recess. It was not until college that our teacher would say “hey it’s a beautiful day outside. Let’s do class there today.” But still growing up with a father like mine was one of the best things ever. At age 12 I climbed up half Dome in Yosemite Park. That was one of the most amazing sites I’ve ever seen. When my father turned forty he decided to challenge himself by climbing fourteen hundred feet mountains as a hobby. As he still continues today, it’s sad to say that he finds more and litter along the trails that he picks up. A month ago I would have to say that I needed to change my viewpoint but honestly from the beginning of the class my view has alerted 180 degrees. I will no longer walk by a piece of trash on the sidewalk and let it go untouched. I will do as much as I can little by little, due to expenses, to become a greener friendly person. I can only do my part but can also open more people’s eyes to their viewpoint. No one really notices how much they impact our nature. Millions of people through their cigarette butts out the window and don’t even blink an eye. Sadly I was one of them. But one person quitting is a start.