Summer Assignment Update

Hi everyone,
Be sure to notice the change in the Free Reading book assignment.

Additionally, we are now nearing the end of the first two weeks of summer and I wanted to be clear about my expectations for the blog. I understand that its summer and you have other things going on. So I am not worried about those of you who have posted to the first article, even if it was late. The three of you who have not need to do the first and second articles soon. (Belinda, Bea, Trini) All of you need to keep up on it. If you have plans to be away from a computer for a period of time then I encourage you to do it early. I am not inflexible in my expectations, but I do need to see regular input from everyone and a real, meaningful conversation going on. If you do that, you keep me happy, and then I don't nag you about the exact timing. Get it?

Good luck, be safe, have fun!! Mazz

Book Reflection Update

There is a slight change of plans for what I expect of you while you read your Free Reading book. Instead of reporting back four times as was originally planned, I would like you to do it only once. You should wait until you are finished, or nearly finished with the book, to write your post. I would like you to explain in your post what the book is about and how you see it connecting to the larger issues of the environment that we will be learning about in more detail in the coming months. You should look through the pages to the right to see the outline for each of the seven main areas of the course to see where your book topic fits in. Please still write 300 words, and finish by August 6.
Mazz

Article 3 - Population - Human Population Size

How many people can the Earth actually sustain? What is the effect of human population growth on the rest of the biosphere?

This is the link to the article that you will be responding to.
Optimum Human Population Size
http://jayhanson.us/page99.htm

Remember, you need to write a 300 word opinion/reaction to the article by Friday, July 1. You then have between Friday, July 1 and Friday, July 8 to respond to one of your classmate's posts. Please see the calendar page, the link for which is on the right.

Additionally, you should take a look at the links below to familiarize yourself with the issue a bit more. This will give you some context when you read the article. I don't expect you to spend too much time, but take a few minutes to explore the sites and get an idea for the scope of the issue.

A "real time" counter keeping track of human population. There are a few graphs and a bit more information than just the size of the population.
http://www.worldometers.info/population/

This is a 5 minute YouTube video. Highly recommended!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b98JmQ0Cc3k

A graph and explanation connecting human population and species extinction.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/overpopulation/index.html

Article 2 - The Living World - Ecosystem Services

How much is the natural environment worth? What would it cost to replace those services that nature provides for free?

This is the link to the article that you will be responding to.
Ecosystem Services Pay, Says Report
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/164038/1/

Remember, you need to write a 300 word opinion/reaction to the article by Friday, June 24. You then have between Friday, June 24 and Friday, July 1 to respond to one of your classmate's posts. Please see the calendar page, the link for which is on the right.

Additionally, you should take a look at the links below to familiarize yourself with the issue a bit more. This will give you some context when you read the article. I don't expect you to spend too much time, but take a few minutes to explore the sites and get an idea for the scope of the issue.

A list of examples of services that the ecosystems of our planet provide for us:
http://www.ecosystemservicesproject.org/html/overview/index.htm

A short list of values associated with various services. Cool pie chart.
http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8381

This website is devoted to the methods of valuing the services the environment provides:
http://www.ecosystemvaluation.org/big_picture.htm

How many billions of dollars is the Canadian wilderness worth:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Canadian+ecosystems+providing+billions+free+services/4898800/story.html

This is a link to a map showing areas in the world where forests can be restored:
http://www.wri.org/map/global-map-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunities

Article 1 - Earth Systems and Resources - Water

Who owns water? Is access to clean water a human right?

This is the link to the article that you will be responding to.
Most Water-Stressed Country in Central America
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53821

Remember, you need to write a 300 word opinion/reaction to the article by Friday, June 17. You then have between Friday, June 17 and Friday, June 24 to respond to one of your classmate's posts. Please see the calendar page, the link for which is on the right.

Additionally, you should take a look at the links below to familiarize yourself with the issue a bit more. This will give you some context when you read the article. I don't expect you to spend too much time, but take a few minutes to explore the sites and get an idea for the scope of the issue.

This is a 7 minute report that you can listen to. Highly recommended!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122195532

Read about water in Bolivia. There is also a 20 minute news story you can watch.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bolivia/thestory.html

These next three links are pretty cool.
A map of places where there have been conflicts over water:
http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/
A time line of water conflict through the centuries:
http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/timeline/
A list chronology that can be sorted, for example to see only Latin America:
http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/list/