Justin Loustau12/13/12

Honors 220 BBourns

Term Paper: Synopsis of Course Experience

Part I: Objectives

Throughout this course I gained a more complex understanding of the media’s

role in propagating ideas and was actively involved in the community through hands-on

experiences, while I had a harder time initially understanding the ecology concepts

relevant to everyday life on the planet.

A. Considering the Media’s Role in Propagating Ideas:

The course as a whole reaffirmed my beliefs regarding the media’s power in

purporting certain ideas and shadowing others. While I had considered the tremendous

power of media ownership as suggested by John Samaras in the past, I was fascinated by

our recurring class discussions concerning the media’s effort to present different

perspectives while covering stories. I had previously associated this diversity in

perspectives with well-rounded journalism and had never considered the negative effects

it could have on movements and the public action that they encourage. I found this

particularly troubling when considering the environmental movement and its efforts to

stop global warming.

The adverse effects of climate change continue to present themselves year after

year. Record levels of artic sea ice melt each summer and “superstorms” like Hurricane

Sandy and Typhoon Bopha continue to cause insurmountable amounts of damage to both

the developed and developing world. Yet as such events occur, the media’s overall effort

to present a “fair” and “balanced” interpretation of them leaves the general public in a

state of partisan divide. While “democratic” politicians and networks like MSNBC have

directly equated storms like Hurricane Sandy with climate change, “republican” policy

makers and networks like FOX have continued to state that such ties can not be made

(Gore) (The O'Reilly Factor).

While I understand that the perspectives represented on these networks are in line

with the larger partisan goals of their respective owners, the conversations we were

having in class have made me think that enough is enough! It is time for the American

people to wake up and demand that their media coverage present more than just the

partisan jargon intended to divide the public. The people need to hear that contrary to

what the mainstream media is telling us today, the vast majority of scientists believe that

global warming is happening and is leading to more cataclysmic environmental disasters.

Only if we move away from our society’s ceaseless attempt to present “both sides” will

we be able to unite and force our leaders to pass substantial domestic and international

legislation to slow the acceleration of climate change.

B. Involvement in the Community Through Hands-On Experiences/Leadership Role

Throughout the quarter, I approached the experiential side of this course with a

tremendous amount of enthusiasm and interest in what we were doing. Our trips to the

Solid Ground Community Farm, West Duamish Greenbelt, and Cedar Hills Landfill are

three examples that demonstrate my genuine interest in getting involved in the

community, learning about environmental issues, and taking on leadership roles in my

learning community.

When we visited the Solid Ground Community Farm, I acted as the main leader

of my work group. When assigned to dig a water-collection trench at the bottom of Solid

Ground’s property, I took the lead in moving an already existing dirt/rock pile that was

blocking an access road onto an unused piece of land further away from the dig site.

After completing that task, I joined in with the majority of my team that had been

working on digging the trench. Within five to ten minutes, a young child approached us

and asked what we were doing. While everyone in my work group just continued

digging, I engaged with the child, asked the Solid Ground employee if it would be ok to

work with him, handed the child a shovel, and began breaking up the larger rocks so that

he could pick them up and place them in a wheel barrow. Before leaving that day, the

Solid Ground employee asked me and three other students to help him with folding

several large mesh textiles so that he could store them for the winter. While several of the

other students looked around and acted as though they did not want to partake, I

responded quickly with enthusiasm and corralled the others to help out.

I acted in a similar manner at the West Duamish Greenbelt when we were

volunteering with Nature Consortium. As we all worked to remove blackberry from the

cite on that cold afternoon, I remember feeling so hopeless and like our efforts were not

going into something worth while; it seemed the blackberry bushes were just growing

back in the same places that Nature Consortium had previously removed them. However,

I kept thinking of our group leader’s story about the blackberry once being almost 15-20

feet high and how the group’s consistent efforts over more than a decade had resulted in

such a healthier greenbelt. Knowing that I was a part of a larger effort, I continued

working and helped out the other students by bringing their weeds to our newly erected

compost pile for them, cheering them up, and pushing them to keep on working.

When we toured the Cedar Hills Landfill (one of my favorite field trips this

quarter), I made a concerted effort to ask as many questions as possible to make the tour

more informative for all of us in the group. While our tour guide was pretty quiet, I

thought we all asked very informed questions about the process of getting “rid” of our

waste and its impacts on the environment. As someone who has tremendous respect for

sanitation workers and the work that they do, I asked these questions out of genuine

interest, and I think that our group benefitted as a result.

In my response to this prompt and providing specific examples, I do not intend to

sound as though I was the only student “leading” our group of students during our

experiential learning projects. I am only trying to comment on my own experience, and

want to drive home that it was all of our collective leadership that made our experiential

learning activities so worthwhile and beneficial for the entire group. Please don’t

interpret the above comments as any form of bragging; I seldom talk about my personal

strengths, but felt it was necessary to bring up because I am proud of the enthusiasm I

brought to this class.

C. Comprehension of Ecology Concepts Relevant to Everyday Life on the Planet

While I garnered a basic understanding of the ecology concepts referenced in the

slideshows shown on Tuesdays, my efforts to delve into the material at that time were

minimal and resulted in generally limited retention of the topics brought up in this part of

the class. It should be noted that part of this approach was due to the laid back manner in

which the concepts were presented, and knowing that I could reference the material later

for homeworks and other assignments if need be. I believe that the biggest reason why I

did not approach these parts of the class with such dedication was because I am generally

motivated by social science concepts—your lectures on social movements, sustainability,

and almost every other part of the class fascinated me and led me to ask and answer very

interesting questions in class discussions.

However, I think what is perhaps most striking about this initial “disinterest” in

ecological concepts was that upon receiving homework assignments I challenged myself

to gain a deeper understanding of the material. Not only did I read all of the slideshows

carefully, but I also did additional research to fill in any gaps that I did not understand

and asked questions in subsequent classes about any confusion I had about the concepts.

The result of these efforts was incredible—I got some of my highest grades in this class

on ecology-based homework and was able to use my understanding of ecology to inform

the social-science based analysis I was using in future homeworks, reflections, and class

discussions. For example, after gaining an intricate understanding of the nitrogen cycle, I

was able to better understand Michael Pollan’s critique of BAU, Haber-Bosch, nitrogen

fixing and incorporate his critique into my larger critiques of the agriculture industry and

its reliance on unsustainable practices. It was a great feeling to know that I had

“mastered” the ecological science presented in this class and use it to inform my

perspective on social science-based issues.

Part II: Content

The course description question I grappled with the most this quarter was: how

does the inescapable science behind the concept of sustainability get communicated to

mainstream America to impact a nation to (perhaps) begin to change its habits in

response? Reflecting on our discussions and extracurricular activities, I was always

concerned with the ways in which individuals in our society are exposed to the concepts

of sustainability and the actions that they take to live more sustainably. While we

discussed the importance of the scientific process and the ways in which studies can be

taken out of context or exaggerated by the media, I was particularly interested in the

media’s role in simply making sustainability a part of our discourse here in the United

States. After reflecting on these ideas for some time, I’ve concluded that in general, the

media’s attempts to incorporate sustainability into our national dialogue are incredibly

futile, if existent at all in some cases.

Harkening back to what I described above in part IA, I have found that MSNBC

and other media outlets situated to the left of the political spectrum have made isolated

efforts to encourage sustainability, primarily through promoting alternative energy use

and relating large natural disasters and other environmental events to global warming.

Several similar networks have adopted green events and promotions around earth day that

encourage viewers to turn their thermostats down several degrees, trade out their

incandescent light bulbs for more efficient CFLs and LEDs, and turn their hot water

heaters down, among other simple household tasks. To be frank, these sugar-coated

messages that make the viewer feel as though he/she is making a difference completely

ignore the root cause of our sustainability problem as I see it and minimize the public’s

concern over the environmental problems that we face today. It is also important to

consider the effectiveness of such recommendations when they are interlaced with

thousands of commercials and advertisements that tell viewers to consume more. In

contrast, I believe that the developed world’s general over consumption and the

unsustainability associated with its quality of life need to be addressed thoroughly in

order to adequately address the climate crisis.

Unfortunately, the efforts of media outlets situated to the left of the political

spectrum are far more substantial than those situated to the right. Over the past several

years, networks like Fox news have attempted to systematically deny any claims of the

climate crisis and have not promoted any conservation strategies. The result of both of

these efforts is a dumbed down left that feels that their minute actions are saving the

world and a right that universally denies any form of climate change or sustainability

problem in the developed world. All the while, neither network covers the United States’

general inaction in addressing climate change on an international level (i.e. failed 2012

Doha Climate Summit) and the foreign world’s frustration with the United States’

negligence mounts higher and higher.

This politically delineated stalemate has had tremendous consequences for the

environment and international relations over the past decade. With no signs of addressing

these concrete issues in the near future, I pose the question: is it possible to promote

sustainability in a capitalist system? With messages to consume, consume, consume, are

we, as a society, ready to take on what becoming sustainable really means: decreasing our

footprint, and in many cases, our quality of life as well?

Before diving into that question whole-heartedly, I think it is important to address

the individualized nature of our society’s current plan to achieve sustainability. Our visits

to the Bertschi School and John Samaras’ house along with Alex Sawyer’s presentation

on Northwest Seed are all examples of small, micro-scaled approaches to reaching

sustainability. In each case, a private party is deciding for itself to go green, investing

huge sums of money in revamping systems, and in some cases, starting from scratch to

achieve a final product. While the results of these efforts can be mind-blowingly

awesome and inspiring, there can be no denying that the actual impact of such efforts is

actually quite small relative to the unsustainable practices that surround those

“sustainability havens.”

As the architect at the Bertschi School said, there are currently only three other

living buildings in the world. While John Samaras’ home embodies sustainability, I have

a hard time believing there are more than one hundred homes in Seattle with the same

degree of technological sophistication. And as Alex Sawyer presented in class, less than

two percent of Washington’s power comes from solar technologies. Our current

individualized BAU approach to achieving real sustainability places responsibility on

privileged individuals that have means to invest in greener technologies, while the lower

and middle classes (the majority of our population) are left unable to act in any

substantial way.

The perverseness of our current sustainability model can also be seen in the way

the wealthy are incentivized to purchase such technologies. As Alex Sawyer suggested,

the tax incentives that are given to those that invest in solar can actually end up paying

for the system itself within five to ten years. Rather than pay back individuals that can

already afford to acquire such technologies, it would make more sense to allocate those

tax funds towards purchasing community solar plots for lower and middle class

neighborhoods (the majority of our population). Such a program would not only decrease

energy bills of those that need help the most, but would also generate economic stimulus

as that money would be reinvested in the economy, a nice bonus during a time of

economic recession.

Nevertheless, this BAU approach has continued and climate scientists like James

Overland have plenty of data to suggest that our system just is not working. Record levels

of sea ice are melting every summer, record-breaking heat trends continue to dominate

weather forecasts year after year, etc. This high degree of unsustainability can also be

seen in the civil infrastructure of any city across the United States. Our tours of the West

Point Treatment Plant and Cedar Hills Landfill demonstrated how we are almost always

at-capacity with waste, an issue that will only become exacerbated in the coming decades

as population rates continue to rise. All the while NGOs like the Puget Soundkeeper

Alliance rise up to fill an increasing void in government agencies, notably the EPA,

overseeing pollution and other environmental issues.

The bottom line is that the tremendously limited impact of our current plan for

achieving sustainability demonstrates a need for a new approach. Because the extent of

our environmental problems link back to the macro-level issue of societal over-

consumption and the waste associated with it, we need macro-level solutions to solve

them. These solutions do not involve the transition to a communist society or ideas that

are utopian in any nature. These ideas are rooted in the sane capitalist and democratic

systems that had been created in the aftermath of World War II and survived until the

mid-1970s when politicians began to deregulate and neoliberal reformers rose to

prominence.

First, we must raise taxes to levels that are comparable to the rest of the domestic

world. In 2010, the average income tax rate for the German people was 35 percent and

reached nearly 50 percent for individuals making more than 250,000 euros a year, levels

much higher than those within the United States currently. While this may seem like a

tremendous increase, it should be noted that Germany’s tax rates today are almost

equivalent to those within the United States between 1945 and 1970. Increasing tax rates

would allow the government the ability to invest in green technologies that would benefit

the entire populace, not just the wealthy. If increasing taxes to those rates is not feasible,

re-allocate tax dollars from military spending to spending that makes our society and the

international world as a whole more sustainable. In 2010, the United States, with just four

percent of the world’s population, accounted for fifty percent of the world’s military

spending. Rather than fighting other countries and creating more enemies, why not

partner with the international community and invest in a communal future.

Second, corporate lobbying must end and the interests of Wall Street need to be

removed from politics. Investing in sustainability, most notably alternative energy

sources and revamping our agriculture system (as suggested by Michael Pollan) will only

be possible if the interests of oil and agribusinesses are removed from the political

spectrum.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Independent media and its viewership must

resurge in this country so that more programs like Democracy Now! exist and the general

consensus of the scientific community can be reported. Popularizing Gaia theory through

these media outlets and understanding the human relation to the planet will boost popular

support for investing in sustainability through taxation and lead to more significant

lifestyle changes like decreasing consumption.

What is so frustrating about offering these suggestions is knowing that I sound

like an idealistic college student and that deconstructing taxation, corporate interests, and

the media is incredibly hard—people fight their whole lives to see just one of those

outcomes, if at all. I do not intend to sound like a broken record, and stand by my

statements, thank you for listening! I’m so glad that we were able to write this piece, it

really helped me to sum up what I was thinking about throughout the quarter, and hope

that it provided some clarity for you as to what I was talking about in class and in my

reflections!

Part III: Method

Experiential learning has always been the most important element of education

for me and is the primary reason why I signed up to take this class. I was privileged

during my high school years to go to a small private school in San Francisco that placed a

huge emphasis on experiential learning, or “learning through doing.” Over those four

years, I traveled to a rural village in Senegal, taught a current events course to fellow high

school students, taught an anatomy and physiology course to fifth graders at a nearby

elementary school, took part in an intensive extracurricular study of the California

criminal justice system, fabricated the tables, desks, chairs, flower beds, and other

infrastructure needed for a new school being established in the East Bay, and had

numerous other opportunities to engage in experiential learning. In sum, the experiences

described above and countless others are what have collectively made me the person that

I am today.

I took this class so that I could have a similar experience in regards to

sustainability. I knew that the only way that sustainability as a whole would be “made

real” to me would be through experiential learning. In addition, I was tired of being pent

up in classes that were just talking about the subject material but not engaging with it in

any meaningful and real way.

This class’ experiential offerings made me realize the extent to which

sustainability is an “interdisciplinary” concept. Before taking this class, I directly equated

concepts of sustainability with alternative energy sources and had little knowledge about

the ways in which sustainability is being considered by almost everyone on the planet.

While Alex Sawyer’s presentation on Northwest SEED and John Samaras’ home

demonstrated the importance of green energy, it is by no means the only way we are

going to achieve total sustainability.

From our very first outing to the Queen Anne Farmer’s market, I learned that the

agriculture sector, most notably local farms, are attempting to make their practices more

sustainable by not only decreasing travel, but also implementing crop cycling and other

natural farming practices that result in similar crop yields but far less environmental

degradation. The following week, we traveled to the Solid Ground Community Farm and

partook in an effort to allow a lower-middle class neighborhood the ability to eat

healthier, eat cheaper, and have a positive impact on the environment while decreasing

fossil fuel consumption and other adverse environmental impacts associated with BAU

farming.

Our cleanup and my volunteer outing with the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance

demonstrated the importance of educating local, national, and international communities

about the harm that sound and ocean dumping has on the environment, but also indicated

a need to develop a more sustainable global culture that emphasizes reducing

consumption, reusing items, and recycling spent items. After volunteering with Nature

Consortium at the West Duamish greenbelt, I understood the importance of restoring

natural habitats to their original and native states when attempting to foster self-

sustaining ecosystems.

James Overland’s presentation on Arctic sea ice and our trips to the West Point

Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Cedar Hill Landfill all provided macro-level

indications that our global approach to and culture that surrounds consumption and waste

must be addressed in order achieve sustainability. In many ways, these three learning

opportunities and their implications resonated the most for me. In reflecting on them, I

found it hard to not critique our capitalist system that drives extraordinary levels of

consumption and emphases on consuming the latest and greatest commodities and

expanding one’s footprint as a demonstration of success. These habits lead to tremendous

amounts of pollution, whether it be through greenhouse gases, water overuse and

pollution, or extremely high levels of non-recyclable and non-compostable waste.

These experiences are what have led me to believe that the only way to solve

these macro-level issues of pollution, over-consumption, and waste is through macro-

level solutions that are legislated and pioneered by international and national governing

bodies, not the micro-level, individualized, solutions so encouraged today. While I

understand the value of people like John Samaras’ efforts to make their homes and lives

completely sustainable, I also understand that the predominance of people so unknowing

of their impact on the environment and the large number of people that simply cannot

afford such interventions will not realistically take the extreme measures needed to

achieve sustainability without help from a national or international accord/mandate on

achieving sustainability. In other words, the individual and small-scale approach to

achieving sustainability is working for some, most notably the privileged. However, if we

want to make a truly substantial impact on consumption, waste, and pollution, political

will is needed on the part of our leaders to commit to changing our way of living so that it

is more sustainable. It should be noted that the failed UN climate change negotiations in

Quatar over the past several weeks is indicative of this lack of political will on the part of

developed nations like the United States to change their ways. Until such accords can be

met, I will not be confident in our ability as a human race to achieve sustainability.

I hope that focusing in on my critique of micro-level interventions amidst macro-

level problems demonstrated how the experiential learning opportunities in this class

improved my ability to integrate ideas, engage in deep learning, and consider ways of

thinking, acting, and relating to the world. I really valued this class, and think it is crucial

that you come back to the UW soon to teach the class again. I’m so glad that I was able to

take this course and want to thank you so much for making sustainability a real thing for

our class. I’m sorry that I had to run back to the UW so early from John’s house last

week! I would have loved to have stayed and talked with them about all of these issues—

they are brilliant people! I found their work very inspiring, its so great to know that there

are people out there so dedicated to this cause.

Works Cited

Gore, Albert. "Al Gore: On Hurricane Sandy." The Huffington Post. N.p., 30 Oct. 2012.

Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-gore/statement-on-

hurricane-sa_b_2045406.html>.

The O'Reilly Factor. "Meteorologist Joe Bastardi Blasts Al Gore’s Claims That

Global Warming Caused Hurricane Sandy as “StunFox News Insider. Fox

News, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

<http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/11/01/meteorologist-joe-bastardi-blasts-al-

gores-claims-that-global-warming-caused-hurricane-sandy/>.