CA+- Final+Exam


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

Corporations have been under a lot of scrutiny, especially when it comes to sustainability. Their motives are to maximize their profits with little considerations to the negative impacts they may cause along the way. Due to poor legislation and dirty politics, corporations get away with destroying both the environment and the economy with littler repercussions.

The film, //The Corporation,// touches on many of the sustainability problems that these corporations are still causing today. Since their main focus is on profit, most corporations are trying to produce a product in the cheapest way possible. Many times that means using harmful chemicals or wasteful practices. Unfortunately, this is the norm in the food industry. Companies want to cut corners when growing crops or raising animals. This is done with little regard for the well-being of the animals being raised or the people who receive this product. Monsanto, one of the companies investigated in this film, was accused of feeding their cows bovine growth hormone to increase the production of milk even though some studies had shown that the hormone ended up in the milk and had severe effects on those who consume it.

In addition to problems like this, corporations attempt to hide their flaws. Again, Monsanto is one of those companies at fault. During the time of the bovine growth hormone controversy, two Fox News reporters attempted to bring these concerns about the hormone out in the open. Since Monsanto is a large company, they were able to pay off the station to keep it from airing. As corporations grow, they gain power. Aside from preventing controversial stories from airing, companies have their hands in the government. By sponsoring elected officials, they are able to pass laws and ban others that could harm their business practices.

Corporations have too little restriction and too much power to currently be beneficial to sustainability. If they were forced out of government and given more restrictions, then they will slowly become less of a concern. By allowing corporations to continue to operate the way that they do, they will remain a sustainability problem.


 * 2. Describe how science can be a sustainability problem, referencing at least 4 examples from films you watched this semester. **

Science is a great tool used to overcome challenges we humans face every day. While the benefits of science can be seen from the food we consume to the products we enjoy using, it sometimes has very serious impacts on the environment and our health. Currently scientific breakthroughs are all about creating something beneficial without fully researching the environmental or personal consequences that product may have. By allowing this kind of advancement, more harmful products will continue to be made available for public consumption.

One of the most beneficial advances in science has been the creation of antibiotics. These drugs, when used properly, can help people to live healthy and happy lives. In //Fresh//, the use of antibiotics for farm raised pigs did anything but that. Pigs raised in tight spaces can easily get and spread diseases amongst each other. To prevent them from prematurely passing or tainting the meat they produce, most farmers give them antibiotics. This has led to many antibiotic resistant diseases that can pass to humans. These diseases make advances in science null and overall can shorten the lifespan of the entire human race if antibiotic resistant diseases were to become widespread.

In addition to using antibiotics in the food industry, they are also guilty of using growth hormones. In //The Corporation//, the Monsanto Company was followed to look into their use of bovine growth hormone on cows raised for milk. The growth hormone was created to stimulate lactation amongst cows, which would help the company to produce and sell more milk product. The downside to this hormone is the negative effects it has on the cows and humans who consume the milk from these cows. Cows given this hormone are more likely to develop udder infections. These infections are painful to the cows and require the need for more antibiotics. Humans who ingest this hormone also have an increased risk of cancer. Overall, this hormone has severe negative health effects, which doesn’t help to sustain human life.

Another scientific breakthrough discussed in //Fresh// are the use of genetically modified crop seeds. These seeds were made to make food taste better, grow faster, and even withstand harsher growing conditions. Companies have also found ways to create seeds that in a sense “self-destruct.” Seeds that do this must be replanted every year. Farmers are indebted to the companies who sell this type of seed and must continue to purchase from them, as per their contracts. This in turn creates a cycle of dependency on the company for seeds, which causes farmers to go further into debt. By creating this debt, it makes farming a less appealing and harder career choice. Food is still needed to sustain life and without farmers to produce it, people will be left starving.

Scientific advances have had a lot of positive impacts on human lives over the years. By allowing companies to exploit these advances, they have unintentionally created many sustainability problems. If science continues to expand without checks, more problems will arise and some of these might not be able to be solved with more science.


 * 3. Describe ways that mainstream media is a sustainability problem; referring to at least 4 examples from films you watched this semester. **

Mainstream media has a large influence over the information the people receive as well as what they should purchase, be concerned about, or even do. By having such a large impact on the knowledge people gather, it has become a large sustainability problem. Media outlets can be influenced by large corporations to filter bad news being present about them. Additionally, media, such advertisements, encourage people to over-consume. Products are presented in flashy ways that grab someone’s attention and create a need for them to buy it, regardless if that is true or not.

In //The Corporation//, the company Monsanto was facing allegations of the negative effects caused by using bovine growth hormone for the cows producing milk. Since they are a large corporation with a lot of money and power, they were able to get their hands in Fox News and get the story presented in a favorable way. Other companies are guilty of this too. Many of them pay off news stations or produce advertisements that present their company or product in a favorable way. For this reason, consumers never get the full story and continue to consume products that are harmful to themselves and the environment.

//The Persuaders // also showed just how far the marketing world will go to get people to buy their products. Specialists are used to find buzzwords and concepts that make consumers feel a strong reaction towards a product. A Hummer, which is a car that guzzles gas and produces a lot of carbon emissions, gets presented in a way that consumers feel inadequate for not owning one. Other companies use emotions to sell their products. By seeing happy and relaxed people in a commercial, someone might be more encouraged to fly with one airline over another. These methods used in advertising hide any faults a product might have from the consumer and encourage people to buy without thinking.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Media continues to grow and change the way it functions to adapt to how consumers are getting their information. Media and advertisements are slowly turning to the internet as a way to get information to the public. This could pose an even larger problem as more people become connected with what they see online. If media continues to be influenced by large corporations and consumeristic values, it will grow as a sustainability problem.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. Discuss how Internet communication and other forms of new media are sustainability problems, as well as a means to sustainability solutions. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">As technology has advanced, so has the way people communicate and receive their information. The internet is one of the largest new media hubs that have influence over people’s lives. It helps deliver information quickly and from many sources to satisfy the need of always wanting more. Additionally, with hand-held technology developing, smart phones have become a huge source of information as well. These devices are always connected to the internet and have applications specific to delivering news. Other applications have built in advertisements so that even when you are just trying to relax and play a game, there is an advertisement for something.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">With the internet being so widespread and accessible, it has become a sustainability problem. Companies still have influence over what information is available from certain news outlets, as well as how they portray themselves on their own websites. This allows biased information to become available and for people who don’t adventure past the first page of search results, the only information they get. People are also able to put whatever information they want to on the internet, which could be in the form of a social media post or blog. Regardless of credentials, other people see this information and can believe it without a second thought. All of this leads to assumptions made by the people who view these blogs or biased news articles. These assumptions can lead to poor consumer choices down the road, which could have negative health or environmental effects.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the positive side of this argument, the internet makes information easily accessible. If you are willing to dig a little deeper and use credible sources of information, you can learn a lot. The internet allows for people to access information they would otherwise have to travel distances to find or wait any length of times to have access too. By placing most information online, it is quickly accessible to those who want to learn more about what is going on or what to consume. People who use the internet in this way can learn changes they can make to their lives to become more sustainable.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overall, the internet and new forms of media associated with it has become both detrimental and beneficial to sustainability. If people use it as a quick source of information from news outlets or social media postings, it has the potential to influence poor consumer choices. Those who use it as a research tool for better sustainable practices or learn to find the credible news sources, will benefit from this technological progress.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Media today has many influences over the information people receive. If media presents these facts in an unbiased way, it allows the viewers to make informed decisions on important topics. Environmental media is not exempt from these guidelines. Since it is a controversial topic, environmental media is one of the hardest to present. For this type of media to be valued, it should present facts to viewers from both sides of the issue, interview people directly involved, and present solutions.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fresh //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">is a good example of some of these characteristics that environmental films should include. This film focuses on the negative aspects of current farming practices and presents many ways that farmers can break away from this. Throughout the film, many different farmers are interviewed. Some of those interviewed are farmers viewed as the problem to sustainable farming. They are indebted to large companies who sell these farmers seeds and purchase the crops back off of them. They also interview successful organic farmers who have changed their whole view on what are acceptable farming practices. By interviewing both types of farmers, the viewer gets a sense of what the problem is and that there are good solutions they can support.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Blind Spot //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">is a film that doesn’t focus on as many of these characteristics. This film shows viewers the harm that America’s dependence on oil is causing to the environment and the economy. During the film many people are interviewed about what the problem is and how it is affecting people. It tries to go for the factual and emotional appeal by giving scary facts and having an overall sad tone. The film does not truly suggest any points of intervention in this problem though. By not suggesting solutions, it leaves viewers wondering what’s next or what can I do though.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Environmental media that give facts and inspire viewers to make changes are best for making a real impact. Those that lack real facts or possible solutions will be ignored or written off as bad media. In turn, this negative view of an issue could distance people from wanting to become involved in it, which is the opposite purpose of environmental media.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of the easiest audiences to target for sustainability is the college student. Since they are open to learning new ideas and practices, it is easy to educate them on making changes in their lives. For this reason, a film about green laboratories and green chemistry should be made.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">College students are the people who will be taking the tried and true ideas of the industry and improving upon them. By educating them early, especially those looking for a career in the chemical or biological field, they will be able to come up with solutions to make their labs greener. Additionally, from this, they can choose to focus their studies on green chemistry. Currently, green chemistry is growing within the industrial chemical world. Companies are always looking to discover better and cheaper ways of making their products, and by using green chemistry to produce them, their product will have a sustainable appeal. Students who graduate with a green chemistry degree not only increase their chances of getting a job, but can help prevent further environmental damage being doing by the chemical industry.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since this film would be aimed at the college student with a background in chemistry or biology, it will be more scientific fact intensive. The idea behind the film is to drive home the 12 principles of green chemistry, while still capturing the attention of the audience. This will be achieved by targeting universities and companies that already implement green laboratory practices. Lead researchers in the green chemistry department at Pfizer will be interviewed throughout the film, focusing on the work they have already done towards discovering chemical pathways that can be used in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with scientific progress, the film will also focus on the ethics and information sharing. By encouraging students to share the data they discover in an unbiased way, they could greatly benefit the scientific community as a whole. Having access to data that at one time was expected to be hidden away, will help other researchers to produce results quicker, the goal of every industry, and spend less time researching information that has already been discovered.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">While this film does not have a wide target audience, it does have a strong value as an educational tool. Showing this to college students will benefit their education and possibly encourage them to make their degree greener. It will also have a positive influence on the chemical industry by inspiring new scientists to share information and produce more sustainable products.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">11. Describe the key message of //Fresh//, providing illustrative examples from the film, then evaluate its strategy and effectiveness as environmental media. **

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fresh //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is a film that focused on the sustainable solutions to current problems with the food production industry. The film follows local farmers, in-city greenhouse farmers, and local grocery stores in their fight to either survive the in the current model or break free into the organic market. In doing so, it presents the negative side of corporate farming so viewers know why these suggested solutions are needed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">During the film, many farmers are interviewed on why they still farm for corporate America or why they left. One family, who raises chickens, discussed how they cannot afford to raise these chickens organically. They get paid better money to raise these genetically enhanced chickens, but overall are still making very little. Other farmers, such as Russ Kremer, had more personal reasons for going organic. Kremer discussed how raising pigs with antibiotics caused him to contract an antibiotic resistant infection. When this occurred, he decided it was time to stop raising pigs in cramped conditions with the use of drugs to keep them healthy. By interviewing these farmers, viewers truly get a sense of how bad the farming conditions are currently and how imperative it is to make changes now.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fresh //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> also gives viewers an inside view of some of the changes already being made. One of the biggest challenges being faced by farmers is land use. As cities begin to develop, it is harder to find good land to farm on. Growing Power, located in Milwaukee, is an example of how farming can occur in city. This greenhouse raises many different types of organic vegetables, makes its own compost for these crops, and uses farmed raised fish as a way of filtering water for the crops. Small grocery stores are also helping to fight back against corporate farming. They are buying local and organic to support the farmers who are producing these crops.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Showing viewers both the problem and possible solutions, they give them better insight on what the real issue is. It also gives them tools to make positive changes to their own lives. For this reason //Fresh// is an effective environmental tool. It educates the viewers and doesn’t leave them questioning what they can do next, but wondering how they can implement these changes instead.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">16. Write two exam questions that creatively test students’ analytic sophistication about environmental sustainability. Answer one of these questions. **


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some aspects to every culture have an impact on sustainable growth within a country. Identify two parts of American culture that have negative and positive impact on sustainability. Suggest points of intervention for both.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of the biggest problems for sustainability is the way in which issues are addressed. Two types of environmental groups have formed to attack these issues, radical and non-radical groups. Comment on both types of environmental groups and discuss whether it’s more beneficial to be radical or not. Site specific examples of groups who have made progress or been stopped in their tracks.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Sustainability problems are all very similar in that they have a negative impact on people and the planet. In response to these issues, environmental groups have formed to face them head on. While these groups all have the same end-goal in mind, the paths through which these solutions are achieved are vastly different. Some groups believe that a radical approach to fixing environmental problems will provide quicker and better results. Others argue that by staying the course and using the government to address their concerns, the solutions will be enforced and maintained.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The definition of radial is “extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms.” From this, it can then be assumed that a radical environmental group believes in using direct action and out-of-the-box thinking to correct the world’s sustainability problems. One specific example of a radical environmental group is the Earth Liberation Front. E.L.F. believed that their group should have no chain of command, allowing members to come and go as they pleased. Their idea of direct action to combat environmental destruction has been the guiding force for all the actions this group takes. Some of the work they are best known for is their destruction of ski resorts, lumber companies, and SUV dealerships. Additionally, they have set fires to labs in Michigan State University, where genetically modified plants were being grown. In their pursuit for environmental justice, some members of E.L.F. have been labeled as ecoterrorists for the crimes they have committed to achieve their goals.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Other groups believe in a more grassroots approach to environmentalism. By organizing the community to join together and ask local governments to make changes, these groups see lasting results. The Waterkeeper Alliance is a grassroots organization that helps communities fight for the right to clean water. This group is made up of lawyers, politicians, and local activists all coming together to enact change. They encourage more regulations be placed on waterways and then help enforce these changes within the law. One of the major laws they help administer is rivers and lakes clean. Several chapters of the WA organize local fisherman to monitor these waterways for polluters. Additionally, this group aids relief efforts once damage or pollution has already been done.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">While both types of organizations see results, they are not always positive. Radical groups take too many risks in the name of attention to a problem or for quick results. The downside to this is that many of these acts are viewed negatively by people who don’t understand the environmental movement. Some of the stunts that are enacted by these groups are also very harmful to the environment they are trying to protect. So overall, these groups are making a bad name for sustainability and increasing the resistance towards change. Non-radical groups, while slow to get results, do actually see positive changes. Some might argue that in the time it takes for them to see results, more damage can be done to the environment, but by staying within the law, the achieved results are more credible and easy to sustain. For these reasons, non-radical are more beneficial to the environmental movement.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dr. Claudia Anzini, the director of the Renewable Energies Development Program (REDP) at GE, started out as a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During her time at RPI, she became involved in Engineers for a Sustainable World and spent the summer of 2013 in Ghana working of solar produced Adinkra ink. In 2014, she graduated with her bachelors in Chemical Engineering.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anzini started her career at GE Power & Water in the REDP, where she found her passion for working with wind power. During her time in the program, she became a strong advocate for expanding the United States use of wind power and supported the implementation of offshore turbines. In 2018, Anzini was asked to join GE’s task force for placing offshore turbines in North America.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2020, Anzini returned to RPI to pursue her PhD in Chemical Engineering. During that time, she continued to work with GE’s REDP by mentoring RPI students who would be entering the program. Anzini graduated with her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2026.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">She continued working at GE Power & Water for their wind power division. Seeing the potential that still existed in North America for turbines, she encouraged the implementation of underwater turbines. In 2028, Anzini became the head of the underwater turbine division and helped place turbines throughout the eastern coast of North America.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2034, she became the director for the REDP, where she encourages program employees to become as active within the company as she had. In addition to her work at GE, she has become a professor at RPI in the chemical engineering department where she teaches the senior capstone course. Anzini also frequently travels back to Ghana every summer to ensure her solar project is being maintained.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">18. What attitudes and cultural constructs in the United States will environmental educators need to work against? Reference at least two films. Briefly describe at least one activity for k-12 students that would work against these attitudes and cultural constructs. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">American culture is a very prominent feature in the education and daily lives of the people who live in the United States. Over the years, this culture has become very consumeristic, always needing more at the cheapest price they can get it. Additionally, certain items have the appeal of becoming unavailable soon, which draws people to want to consume more of them before they no longer have the option to.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">End of the Line //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is a good example of the consumer culture that is being bred worldwide. It is a film that follows the current crisis within the fishing industry. Popular types of fish are being over-consumed, which is causing many types of fish to become endangered or extinct. Most people are uneducated as to where their fish comes from or how it is being harvested from the oceans. Others purchase fish that they know are likely to become endangered, without any regard to the effect it might have on the fish’s population. Some suggestions for only purchasing sustainably sourced fish were suggested, but no major points of intervention from the consumer’s perspective were given.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Persuaders //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> also showed how the advertising industry has grown and the techniques used to convince consumers to buy more of a product or purchase something they may not have needed. Throughout the film, it is discussed how people in the United States are targeted using emotions that a product could evoke. By associating products with emotions, consumers feel as though that product is necessary to feel those emotions. Similarly, the use of certain trigger words helps convey a message about a product. During the time that global warming was beginning to hit the scene, it was suggested that those words be replaces with climate change, which sounded as severe as the issue itself. Additionally, the use of estate tax was changed to death tax when trying to build support to eliminate it. By using these “clarifying” words, companies and politicians can sway the public into buying their product or supporting their ideas.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since the American culture was built on consumerism, it is unlikely that these lifestyle standards will ever change. Instead, focusing on educating children about consumption and how to do it sustainably will greatly benefit them and the economy. A lot of this education will have to be purely sustainability based, such as teaching them about recycling or choosing healthier food options. For younger children, teaching them about basic consumption and making better choices will be key to preventing overconsumption in the future. This can be done by setting up a market system within the school. Students will earn fake money that can be spent however they choose. The school can set spending limits for a period of time and also allow them to spend how they please. At the end of the year, teachers can discuss the effects of students having spending limits on their overall consumption. For the high school aged students, have a course requirement on sustainability and consumerism would be very beneficial. By teaching about what options are available to them and having them calculate the impact of their consumption, it will better equip them for combatting advertising. This will encourage them to consume less and make better choices when purchasing things they might not need.