Jun 7 2012: Stephanie, I think you make a great point. Many people in this conversation have acknowledged the potentials zoos have for being greater educational tools for the public than they are currently doing, but they can do so much more. I previously argued that zoos could be used to increase understanding of local animals as well as exotic ones. What I thought was most exciting about the potential use of local organisms was the protection of local plant species that would go along with mimicking their natural habitats, but I did not think about how that would better educate the public on looking at ecosystems as a whole, as you mentioned. Raising this sort of big-picture awareness in the public would hopefully draw further attention and funding towards more ecosystem based conservation efforts. This can only be achieved if zoos begin work on making zoos a better place for the inhabitants.
Jun 7 2012: Kimberly, I think you make a great point. While zoos do great work drawing attention to organisms who are endangered and providing some educational material for visitors, most of the focus goes to the exotic and rare species. Bringing the focus local organisms would be great for encouraging identification with visitor's local habitats. From personal experience if someone identifies with a particular place, they are more likely to have passion to fight for it. Additionally, with the use of local animals you would hope that the zoos would try and recreate a semi-realistic habitat within the zoo that is like the animals' natural habitat. This would allow for the conservation of some local plant species as well. By recreating synthetic habitats that represent once common natural habitats, zoos could then also educate visitors on what the area looked like before humans took over.
Jun 6 2012: Great suggestion, Rishi. In this day and age there are many technological alternatives to traditional practices. The utilization of video conferences cuts down one contributions to our carbon footprint, including flights as mentioned above, but also on transport to and from the airport, and all of the energy and resources that would be used at a hotel stay. Not to mention the fact that video conferences cut down on overall monetary costs. We now have the means to create innovative alternatives that can be greener than traditional practices. Integrating these into the business world would also educate people who have left school on concepts of sustainability and conservation.
Jun 5 2012: Stephanie, I think the best point that you made is that as humans we can communicate. I do not think these extremist acts work as effective methods of communication. You clarified my thinking. These acts of violence muddle the message that these people may actually be trying to get across. This is counter-productive. What is more, extremist actions are often considered unattributed and may drive people away from the problem in the first place so to avoid being associated with the negative connotations of those extremists involved.
Jun 5 2012: I think Sarah and Kirsten make great points. If we can implement this type of education into the prison system, why not make it an integral part of our public education system. If you learn about it at a young age you are more likely to learn to integrate it into your daily life. I think that Sarah makes an important point though. While education on the dramatic instances such as the rainforest are good for people to understand, I think that there should be an emphasis on the negative environmental impacts your own community are experiencing. I think that the school system should emphasize educating kids on what they can do daily to positively affect their home ecosystems. This helps give people a sense of responsibility and also of obtainability.
Jun 4 2012: While I think that it is possible that extremist behavioral draw he public attention to an issue, I think that history has shown that the dangers of extremist activity is that it causes anger between the opposing parties that can foster actions based on the desire for revenge. Anger can inspire the desire for revenge and retaliation. This could steer decisions from being motivated by what is best for the environment and instead toward what would be the best retaliation. This should be kept in mind because not only would the focus on these actions be lost, but as many others have mentioned, more harm could result than good for these extremist actions.
I completely agree with you. It is very important to carefully consider the cultural beliefs of people. It is very easy for people to disregard a cultural belief that they cannot identify with, such as eating something rather exotic like shark fin soup. This serves as one of those reminders that we need to be able to look at the issue from another perspective. If this was a debate about an American tradition I think many in this circle might feel differently. That being said, along with taking into consideration the cultural beliefs of the Chinese, obviously the ecological well being of shark populations needs to be prioritized. Be this via the use of permits or just overall more strict and rigorous regulations with increased education, shark populations need to be protected. As many people have mentioned, sharks are keystone predators meaning that their presence greatly influences the function of marine ecosystems. We do not want to risk having to see what their loss would mean for our marine ecosystems. After all, if there are no more sharks there is no more shark fin soup and everyone loses.
I agree with you that outright banning of shark fishing would be difficult to achieve. Something I find confusing is why the shark bodies are being discarded. I wonder if it would be possible to implement a partnership between those fishing for the fins themselves and those who want the shark meat itself. I know that people use shark meat for eating, etc. This partnership seems like it could help sustain the livelihood of the fisherman while also reducing the amount of sharks that are caught by having them work cooperatively. Harvest the fin and the meat. Maybe an idea like this could lessen the burden on these top predators of the sea.
May 23 2012: The mandatory implementation of green roofs seems like a great idea to me. In addition to the points that many people have made the already high upfront building costs, I really do think that considering the later savings that green roofs can have for building temperature regulation, etc may outweigh or at least equalize the upfront costs. Especially when you consider how long you expect a building to be in existence and how those savings add up over the years.
As to your question, Kimberly, I do think that a university may be one of the early places to take on this initiative. Not only is a place like UO full of young people who are passionate about making changes towards a more green future, including architecture, but at least at our university there seems to be constant construction and remodeling. This provides many opportunities for new technologies. Additionally students studying architecture are probably at the forefront of learning about these things and can be key assets for new green architecture implementation. This could provide opportunities for the school to save money, be a pioneer on a new green architectural front and allow students gain experience by using their education to provide input into changes in the university.
You make a valid point. The legalization of marijuana, even if just for medicinal uses, will make parents more likely to be open about their marijuana use, which would greatly influence the children's perception of the drug. While I believe that marijuana does have medicinal benefits, I think that the increased accessibility with its legalization for medicinal purposes could result in increased problems with recreational use. While many argue that it is completely hypocritical for alcohol to be legal and marijuana to be illegal, I think that there are some striking differences in the circumstances in which people find it acceptable to smoke or drink. From personal experience, I do not know anyone who, especially when sober, is supportive of people driving while intoxicated from alcohol consumption while I know a wide range of people who find it perfectly acceptable to drive while high (here are the obvious extremes in the spectrum with people who struggle with alcohol addiction who drink in many inappropriate situations). No matter what people say about marijuana, it is still a drug that influences your perception, reflux time and judgment. Thus, someone under the influence of marijuana who is driving a car is putting people in danger and it should not be acceptable. Education on these issues will becoming increasingly important if kids see or know of their parents cannabis use, as they will find it more attractive and acceptable.
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A reply on Conversation: Do zoos help biodiversity conservation?
A reply on Conversation: Do zoos help biodiversity conservation?
A reply on Conversation: From ivory tower to prison cell: How can we bring conservation efforts to the public?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
A reply on Conversation: From ivory tower to prison cell: How can we bring conservation efforts to the public?
A reply on Conversation: Do extremist tactics push environmentalism forwards or backwards?
A reply on Conversation: Should shark fishing be banned?
I completely agree with you. It is very important to carefully consider the cultural beliefs of people. It is very easy for people to disregard a cultural belief that they cannot identify with, such as eating something rather exotic like shark fin soup. This serves as one of those reminders that we need to be able to look at the issue from another perspective. If this was a debate about an American tradition I think many in this circle might feel differently. That being said, along with taking into consideration the cultural beliefs of the Chinese, obviously the ecological well being of shark populations needs to be prioritized. Be this via the use of permits or just overall more strict and rigorous regulations with increased education, shark populations need to be protected. As many people have mentioned, sharks are keystone predators meaning that their presence greatly influences the function of marine ecosystems. We do not want to risk having to see what their loss would mean for our marine ecosystems. After all, if there are no more sharks there is no more shark fin soup and everyone loses.
A reply on Conversation: Should shark fishing be banned?
I agree with you that outright banning of shark fishing would be difficult to achieve. Something I find confusing is why the shark bodies are being discarded. I wonder if it would be possible to implement a partnership between those fishing for the fins themselves and those who want the shark meat itself. I know that people use shark meat for eating, etc. This partnership seems like it could help sustain the livelihood of the fisherman while also reducing the amount of sharks that are caught by having them work cooperatively. Harvest the fin and the meat. Maybe an idea like this could lessen the burden on these top predators of the sea.
A reply on Conversation: If green roofs were mandatory in cities would there be less development and building?
As to your question, Kimberly, I do think that a university may be one of the early places to take on this initiative. Not only is a place like UO full of young people who are passionate about making changes towards a more green future, including architecture, but at least at our university there seems to be constant construction and remodeling. This provides many opportunities for new technologies. Additionally students studying architecture are probably at the forefront of learning about these things and can be key assets for new green architecture implementation. This could provide opportunities for the school to save money, be a pioneer on a new green architectural front and allow students gain experience by using their education to provide input into changes in the university.
A reply on Conversation: Should Cannabis be legalized as a medicine?
You make a valid point. The legalization of marijuana, even if just for medicinal uses, will make parents more likely to be open about their marijuana use, which would greatly influence the children's perception of the drug. While I believe that marijuana does have medicinal benefits, I think that the increased accessibility with its legalization for medicinal purposes could result in increased problems with recreational use. While many argue that it is completely hypocritical for alcohol to be legal and marijuana to be illegal, I think that there are some striking differences in the circumstances in which people find it acceptable to smoke or drink. From personal experience, I do not know anyone who, especially when sober, is supportive of people driving while intoxicated from alcohol consumption while I know a wide range of people who find it perfectly acceptable to drive while high (here are the obvious extremes in the spectrum with people who struggle with alcohol addiction who drink in many inappropriate situations). No matter what people say about marijuana, it is still a drug that influences your perception, reflux time and judgment. Thus, someone under the influence of marijuana who is driving a car is putting people in danger and it should not be acceptable. Education on these issues will becoming increasingly important if kids see or know of their parents cannabis use, as they will find it more attractive and acceptable.