relationship to nature / carbon footprints

Description

Essay #1: Your Environmental Profile: A Self-assessment of Your Relationship with Nature
Planning worksheet due Friday, 9/18
Essay due Friday, 10/2
Objectives of Assignment:
Engaging with the carbon footprint calculator and environmental justice TedTalk.
Using specific detail, examples, and anecdotes to illustrate and support assertions.
Using three environmental justice terms.
Engaging two to three well-chosen quotations from provided sources.
Using active voice more than passive voice. See Quick & Dirty, pp. 20-21.

Directions: In “The Lay of the Land,” Ecology professor J. Drew Lanham writes, “Place and land and nature: how we tie these things together is critical to our sense of self-purpose and our fit in the world.” After reading Lanham’s article, calculating your carbon footprint, and watching the Environmental Justice TedTalk, write an essay assessing and evaluating your current relationship with nature, the land, and the environment. Respond frankly and honestly — you are in a “judgment-free zone.” Organize your ideas into recognizable sections/paragraphs. Please note: This essay is about YOU and YOUR relationship with nature, not about people in general. How would you describe your personal relationship with nature? In your essay, address the following questions/concepts/subtopics:

Your Carbon and Ecological Footprint
What is your carbon footprint? Take the carbon footprint quiz to gain self-awareness and to gather some personal data. Ecological Footprint Calculator
How many earths are you currently using?
What practices are responsible for most of your carbon usage?
What have you learned about your practices/habits and carbon usage?
What changes or modifications would you be willing to make in order to reduce your carbon footprint?
Discuss an object or image that captures your carbon footprint. Perhaps a product you use regularly…..

Environmental Justice and Ecosystem Services in Your Life
According to the Environmental Justice TedTalk, do you have a high or low degree of environmental justice in your life? Explain; be specific.
What environmental benefits do you have in your life? Be specific.
What ecosystem services are you aware of benefiting from in your life? Learn about provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services by clicking on this link: National Wildlife Federation’s outline of Ecosystem Services.
What environmental burdens or injustices do you have in your life? Be specific.

Your Personal Interactions with Nature/Feelings and Beliefs: