AdamsExam

Blake Adams Professor Fortun Sustainability Problems Take Home Exam 21 November 2011

1)Identify ways that corporations are a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

In the film //The Corporation,// a detailed portrait of the clinically insane individual was made. However, this individual was somewhat different than most. That is because corporations are people. Soon after the 14th amendment was passed “Corporate personhood” changed the way in which businesses could function. Now protected under the constitution like any other American citizen, “it” could seek opportunity in pursuit of happiness. This happiness is financial happiness, or rather, wealth. This is why today businesses can act without regulation and when they are legally responsible, there is no-one to handcuff. Lawsuits are only speed bumps and do not deter all companies from breaking the law. Laws are not the same, however. They operate under the impression that they can do whatever they can to produce large gains and as long as stockholders are happy the people who are in charge continue to make money. They are solely motivated by profits. In the film, “the Persuaders,” we learned how corporations rely upon advertising to maintain relationships with consumers. The tactics of advertising agencies often abuse these relationships as they utilize techniques that subconsciously link happiness to material goods. Commercials trick consumers to purchase things that they do not need. In the film, “The Yes Men Fix the World,” the protagonists prove how companies are often crooked and only care about the production and consumption of goods, ignoring important things like the environment. The “faking” of a DOW Chemical interview on BBC, was a great attempt to show how corporations don’t care about moral issues and legitimate business practices.

2) Describe how science can be a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

Science and the pursuit of technological progress often disregards questions of morality, reason, and risk management and often is heavily persuaded by financial and/or political influence. Now, there is little blame that can be placed upon scientists and the academic community in their pursuits. It is however, the non-scientific community such as policy-makers politicians, generals, and ceo’s that often misuse technology or scientific information for their benefit. One of the best examples of this is DDT, a pesticidal chemical created in the 1950’s after World War II. It’s discovery was not led by intent to destroy ecological and social communities but that was exactly what it accomplished. Science has created many things that have been detrimental to the “real” progress of humanity, such as the atomic bomb and other weapons and chemicals. Many innovations like these have transformed how the world operates and is thus very important in today’s discussion of the world. From the stone age to the computer age, science has increased the human species’ chances of success. These “stepping stones” have allowed us to become what we are as a population. However, the scientific community when fueled by financial exploits often leads to the unconscious creation of evil things. These things are mischievous and are perhaps meant to be created, but not meant to be used. Science should be viewed as a very dangerous thing, whose power can change the world, because empirically this has been the case. We however disregard the implications in the long term and insanely see any innovation as a step forward. This is why science can be a sustainable problem, because progress is also unsustainable. Science and progress are two things that should not be confused. Progress is the advancement of our community through effort and conscious reason. Science is the method of increasing our understanding of our world. But scientific progress is a hard nut to crack. 4) Describe how the advertising industry is a sustainability problem. Discuss the environmental implications of “communication for commerce,” the effort to create emotional connections between consumers, commodities and companies, and the cultivation of “loyalty beyond reason” (//The Persuaders//). Also discuss whether sustainability advocates should borrow techniques from the adverting industry to advance //their// message.

The advertising industry is focused on creating emotional connections between consumers and commodities/ companies and their success has been greatly based around “communication for commerce.” In order to sell products and cultivate “loyalty beyond reason” companies rely upon advertising firms to create media that consumers can emotionally connect to and thus continue a long lasting relationship. As we have seen in the film //The Persuaders//, this world is often secretive and is content on having //their// message subtle and unnoticed. This causes some serious problems to occur in the realm of sustainability. For one, the consumption of goods is increased by advertising campaigns and the resources are immense. As consumers receive no satisfaction from the products that promise, “real organic feelings,” consumers seek out new models and different products. These campaigns are very concerned with increasing the amount of products that people now feel compelled to buy. It is a terrible cycle of materialism and it transfers into all aspects of life. Advertisements placed by companies like Exxon Mobil, or DOW Chemical utilize these techniques in the same way. This is not sustainable for several reasons, but mostly because these companies are not environment exactly advocates. They use these techniques and misinform in a lot of cases. This now creates an underlying problem in sustainability, a deceived population. Some have suggested that the environmental advocates apply the same techniques to advance their rhetoric. I would strongly disagree with this plan because the effort may work if the environmentalists are attempting to sell more efficient cars or insulation but fails to transmit the message that is at the heart of the sustainable movement, which is respect for our land and conscious action. 5) Discuss how Internet communication and other forms of new media are sustainability problems, as well as a means to sustainability solutions.

Internet communication and other forms of new media are becoming a massive part of the young person’s daily life. We can get caught up in checking online media sites in an effort to stay up to date on what my friends are doing, or what is happening. In many ways this is a great tool in which global communication is increased which decreases the social distance between individuals. However, the internet and social networking sites as well as other types of media can harvest sustainable problems. There is no doubt that the use of sites like Facebook or MySpace has led to the increased time spent online which uses massive amounts of electricity. The energy expended for relatively unimportant and often selfish activity is rarely or never considered. Along with this, these sites often are covered with advertisements unfairly utilizing personal preferences in order to enhance and promote individual consumption of goods. These personal preferences are in actual fact, a blueprint for one’s wallet and maximizing efficiency in this area is valuable to companies. Thus, these sites have led to a revolution in advertising and commercialization. With the creation of the internet and more recently social media and networking sites comes the possibility of a social revolution. Now more than ever are people connected with one another. I can communicate with a friend in Costa Rica instantly and with great ease. This allows me to be current and to keep up with what is going on in the world. In the growing environmental movement this can serve a powerful weapon in the battle between the planet and the abuse of resources. People can now access information, news ways to farm, exposed to green products and wisdom, or discover why things are bad for the environment. 6) Identify key characteristics of the best environmental media (recognizing that few films or other media are likely to have more than a few of these characteristics). Reference examples from films we’ve seen this semester.

There are certain characteristics that embody appropriate and persuasive art. Specifically, environmental media such as enlightening films, books, internet media, or music all have several different characteristics that they share but not one piece of work contains all. The first major characteristic is wit. Wit, or intelligence is necessary for environmental media to become successful, meaning it reaches it’s targeted audience and increases awareness of the issue discussed. An intelligent argument or supporting witty dialogue is required to reach possibly stubborn or uninterested viewers. For example, in “The Yes Men Fix the World,” the main characters constantly include humor and wit throughout their film in order to keep one interested in what can be a very boring and monotonous subject, the protection of the environment. Along with wit, truth is another characteristic. The film or media needs not only to include truthful statistics and factual evidence to state it’s case, but it needs to do so truthfully. What I mean is that an earnest desire to convey the facts is as important as the facts themselves. If a film fails to convince a viewer of the truthful expression than the film won’t be successful, and we saw this in the film “Blue Vinyl.” The film always contained the truthful quality because the film’s director cared about the art she was making. Therefore, when companies or organizations that hire advertising consultants or media teams to create their films, commercials, or advertisements they can be largely ineffective. Another characteristic of good environmental media is accessibility. Can a film access the viewer it intends, reaching an audience beyond what it intends, or does it fail to? This is a vital question especially in documentary films. In the film, “Water Wars,” the ease of access for myself was somewhat difficult so I couldn’t imagine how a high school student could be interested and thus affected. The problem with the film was the dense material and the way in which it barraged the viewer with different topics. 7) In a 2010 NY Magazine article, Jon Stewart describes his media team as "Soil enrichers. Maybe we can add a little fertilizer to the soil so that real people can come along and grow things.” What does Stewart mean, and how persuaded are you by the metaphor? The NY Magazine article is " [|America is a Joke] "

In the NY Magazine article, “America is a Joke,” Jon Stewart described his writing and media team as “soil enrichers.” This describes the effort that Jon and his team are putting forward in order to change the fertility/ success of something. But what is Jon trying to help along when he says, “Maybe we can add a little fertilizer to the soil so that real people can come along and grow things.”? What is the soil that he is referring to? In my opinion, Jon is referencing to the foundation of media in American politics. Thus, his attempt via the Daily Show is to allow for a healthy dosage of humor and beneficial realism in the way in which politics is examined and I think that the reason this statement is so persuasive for me. I agree with what Jon is saying and the reason his metaphor works so well is that his motivation is to spark something from the ground floor upwards. IN nature when soil becomes barren and reduced of it’s nutrients fertilizer can be applied to increase productivity. Jon wants people to come along after him and his efforts and really change things. In most of his shows the fertilizer he is applying is often a humoristic and/or satirical approach to news. But he believes that this is what news media needs to grow things. A fresh approach to something gone stagnant is exactly what is required to cause positive change to occur. Now, I think that Jon might have intended to specifically mean enriching politics, but in my opinion his words speak in grander terms of social change and media. Wether this is what Jon was trying to get at is a bit of a guess, but I feel that it is highly persuasive because of the current status of our planet which needs real people who will grow. 8) Design a film intended to educate a particular audience about a sustainability problem. Describe the audience you intend to reach, and its characteristics (biases, ignorance, expertise, etc); the aim of the film; its narrative structure and its content.

I have designed a documentary film focused upon the world of golf and the influence golf course management has had upon the environment. The film is intended to reach all audiences above middle school and beyond, but most importantly people whose lives are centered around the game. I feel like most people do not understand what goes into a course and most importantly what runs off of one. It is often too that the people who play golf the most never take a second to question how a course gets so green and lush, or what resources are used to make it so. The film will certainly make people question the industry and prevent people from becoming ignorant of the realism that is golf destroys the environment. The film will rely upon expert’s insight into the issues of habitat destruction, energy consumption, and above all else social problems associated with the spread of the game. Following a structure that patiently moves along and slowly begins to piece aspects of the golf world together, the film will stress one true and resounding narrative. This narrative is that the game of golf has become disenchanted from the initial virtues of the game and the popularity and money surrounding the game has turned it into a dark industry. By traveling to different courses around the world and supplementing footage with expert interviews and analysis of research, the film will dissect how courses are built and the amount of land is altered. The film will also do one more important thing. This is to promote the game the right way. To instill the original principles layed down by the game’s founders of truth, leisure, enjoyment of natural beauty, and sustainability that all have been cast aside by trophies and club membership status. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">13) Imagine that you are teaching high school seniors about environmental controversies. How would you advise them to make sense of the controversy around hydrofraking for natural gas? What questions would you encourage them to ask in analyzing all environmental controversies they encounter? In answering this question, you can draw on news accessible here: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">.  <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">In my highschool AP environmental class, I discussed with my students the issue of hydrofraking. I figured that the best way for me to make sense of the controversy is to begin with an analysis of fossil energy resources in America which creates the initial perspective. By comparing how much energy hydrofraking could provide alongside the statistics of American energy use and the amount currently provided from coal, oil, and renewable energies the students could begin to consider the argument for hydrofraking even before we discussed the environmental issues. Leaving economics out of the equation, except for a brief analysis of how natural shale gas costs and I would primarily focus on the logistics and reasons for exploring oil shales. After a solid understanding of the modern energy climate is reached, then I would first examine the details around hydrofraking specifically the techniques that are used throughout the lifespan of the commodity and further to the technology used to acquire the gas. The very last aspect I would discuss is the environmental issues of pollution and human health and safety. By writing a paper at end of our discussion, the students would enhance their awareness of this issue. While writing the paper, I would ask the students to ask themselves specific questions such as; Would you feel any differently on this topic if you lived within the proposed building project(s)? How can regulation affect the outcome of this new industry? What are the rights of landowners? What are the rights of corporations? How can civilians increase the awareness of environmental perturbance by these hydrofraking projects? Does it make sense to think about this issue in relative terms to big oil, or coal? What sustainable problems are associated with hydrofraking? Knowing what you know now about hydrofraking would you recommend other countries to explore these energy sources? <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">16) Write two exam questions that creatively test students’ analytic sophistication about environmental sustainability. Answer one of these questions.  <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">Using ideas acquired from class and elsewhere, examine the issue of population growth. How can the world’s governments approach the issue of carrying capacity and the eventual rapid decline of population size? What are the social implications of your suggestions?   <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">It is a common observable phenomenon in nature that when a species population size continues to increase, it must at some point exceed the limits of the surrounding environment. The available resources on our planet are finite and thus, there exists no living group of organisms that can continue to grow without reaching beyond the threshold, or rather the carrying capacity, of their surroundings. This is where we are as a human population begun to experience, the limits of our surrounding environment being threatened and perhaps even currently being exceeded. Systematic preparation by governments and global organizations is needed for the eventual decline of our population when we surpass the carrying capacity of our planet. I believe that the most developed nations has an obligation to sign treaties that in the future will allow for massive cooperation between military forces to assist with poorer nations, as well as adequately assess global food and energy stocks to help political leaders make the tough decisions that are necessary to transition from a prosperous society to a collapsing one. This will mean several things for everyone and unless precautions are underway then we will be forced to watch and see happens to a society when food is scarce for everyone. The controversial ideas of population control will soon be necessary if we are to lessen the effects of the bursting bubble. Socially, the world will change from large families to smaller ones requiring men to become sterile by the age of 30. This is just one of the radical approaches to this problem that governments need to consider. But radical action is necessary when considering what will happen to the world if the population drops from 11 billion to 5 billion in a matter of years. The reality of the issue is not yet fully realized because of the excess celebrated by America and Western cultures, however, the problem will soon be here and governments must create legislation that institute mandatory population controls. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">Explain with in depth analysis of your own life, what you consider is the largest sustainable problem that you are a part of. In your own words how are you most contributing to Climate Change? <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;"> 17). Write a 400-word biosketch that describes where you will be and what you will have accomplished twenty years from now. The biosketch should be narrative rather than resume style. Include basic biographical and educational information, the expertise you have built and have become known for, and a brief description of important projects you have been a part of over this period of time. For an example, see the Wikipedia entry for Paul Farmer ( <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15.99px;">Blake Alexander Adams born on November 12, 1988 is a prominent writer on topics such as sustainability, renewable energy, agriculture, and spiritualism. Growing up in Montclair, NJ he attended Edgemont Montessori school which stressed the importance of creativity and self-expression which would become highly important later on in life. After 4 years of high school at a Roman Catholic Preperatory Academy, he attended RPI and received a B.S. in Environmental Science and minored in Sustainable studies. His post college years were spent traveling and researching several topics in earth science and sustainability around the world and promoting the connection between individual spiritual health and environmental health. Living in poverty and relying upon the kindness of others, Blake spent most of his twenties in a reflective state of spiritual advancement. In the wild removed from society and possessions, Blake was able to realize his purpose and began writing intensely about what he saw and experienced. Soon his travels and conversations with people and communities has lead to his overstanding of ecological issues and to several books. Blake independently researched new ways to approach sustainability developing several innovative techniques of organic farming, solar energy production, and is most regarded for developing the personal “eco-home” model that is, a home completely self sufficient providing families with everything they need while emitting 0 carbon emissions. His work in Africa and in S. America has gained recognition by GreenPeace, Sierra Club, and the U.N for lessening effects of poverty and environmental destruction. The years spent in S. America and most notably the Middle East has helped to changed the ways in which personal farming and sustainable living are approached. In 2029, Blake was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize with his theories on spirituality and community stemming from his work in Nepal and Israel. This came after He has written several books including, “Greens Fees” a book analyzing the golf world as well as producing a documentary film based upon the work. Reaching millions of readers, Blake Adams has changed many peoples lives from his simple lessons of naturalism and love for the universe. Now, Blake enjoys the quiet life on the island of Kauai where he maintains his contributing wisdom of sustainable topics as a contributing writer for Rollingstone Magazine, the Journal of Nature, and National Geographic.