Graded In class writting, very simliar to the last post..

Luther Standing Bear is very clear in showing that he and his people are respectful of nature. He believes that every living thing has right, especially the animals. He specifically states that animals have " the right of man's protection, the right to live, the right to multiply, the right to freedom, and the right to man's indebtedness." One of the main themes that is present in the majority of the quotes from Luther Standing Bear is that man must be respectful of nature because all forms of life were created by the same "Great Mystery."
Similarly the Chief Seattle speech talks about the same ideas. Chief Seattle points out the he and his people respect the land. His reason for this is slightly different. Chief Seattle's people honor the dead and as a result of this the land that they once inhabited is very sacred to them. They honor the land because of the memories they have had there, good or bad. They also love the land of their "nativity." Chief Seattle says that the dead will return to their native lands, which in turn is another reason to be respectful of the land. "To us the ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their resting place is hallowed ground."
Chief Seattle's speech talks mainly about how his people are dying and will soon no longer exist, but he makes remarks about how his people are respectful of the land. He warns that the dead are not powerless.

As I have noted in the previous post, much controversy surrounds the authenticity of Chief Seattle's speech. After reading this article I found another article commenting on the validity of this speech. The author of the speech, Henry A. Smith gives a place where he encountered Chief Seattle and recorded this entry. The controversy starts here. When was this speech actually given? Was Smith even present when the speech was given? Arnold Krupat investigates the validity of Smiths summary of Chief Seattle's speech. Krupat talks about the discourse in dates and gives reason why he thinks the speech was given in January, and also notes that he thinks Smith supplemented the speech with information that he had heard was said at the Point Elliot talks. This is just one of many discourses in the speech and Krupat investigates many of them. Smith says "they gave him a demonstrative reception in front of Dr. Maynard’s office, near the waterfront on Main Street." This alone tells the reader the origin of the speech. After reading Krupat's article it is clear to me that Smith identified with Chief Seattle in the sense that he felt his "middle class" was going to die out just as Chief Seattle thought the same about his people. The authenticity of Chief Seattle's speech is only slightly altered by the fact that it is more of a summary of multiple speeches supplemented by imagery from Smith. Arnold Krupat writes the he thinks the speech was real, however it should be noted that there are numerous people who disagree completely. Krupat notes distinct facts from the summary by Smith that, in his opinion, proves the authenticity. Krupat has many arguments and reasons why he thinks this speech is authentic, regardless of the different versions of the speech that have been published. I feel that Krupat gives me reason to believe this speech is authentic.

What Did Chief Seattle Actually Say?

Chief Seattle's speech is very famous and well known. However much controversy surrounds the speech itself, and its authenticity. Henry A. Smith is the author of the famous speech from 1854. The controversy starts here. When was this speech actually given? Was Smith even present when the speech was given? Arnold Krupat investigates the validity of Smiths summary of Chief Seattle's speech. Krupat talks about the discourse in dates and gives reason why he thinks the speech was given in January, and also notes that he thinks Smith supplemented the speech with information that he had heard was said at the Point Elliot talks. This is just one of many of the discourses in the speech and Krupat investigates many of them. After reading Krupat's article it is clear to me that Smith identified with Chief Seattle in the sense that he felt his "middle class" was going to die out just as Chief Seattle thought the same about his people. The authenticity of Chief Seattle's speech is only altered by the fact that it is more of a summary of multiple speeches supplemented by imagery from Smith.  

The article by Arnold Krupat can be found here.

Smiths article on Chief Seattle's speech can be found here.

Reap the Rewards of Your Outdoor Adventure

Environmentalists are constantly making claims about how humans mistreat the environment and are not respectful of our resources. Well, if these claims are true, an article i came across via Google Alerts has reassured me that there are plenty of ways to educate the public on environmental issues. This article, titled "Enjoy benefits of nature at DNR education centers" can be found here. The article encourages mostly younger students but teachers and parents as well to use their resources wisely. The DNR this article is talking about is the Department of Natural Resources. "In addition to wildlife management, public fishing and natural areas, as well as state parks, DNR and partner agencies operate seven regional education centers across the state." Taking advantage of these education centers not only encourages environmental education but it stimulates interest in outdoor activities for children. Something that these resource centers hope they will carry with them for a life time, resulting in a more "environmentally friendly" lifestyle. The article also claims that this type of education and experience will improve student achievement, why wouldn't we take advantage of these benefits? Simply said, go outside and enjoy nature, it will benefit you more than you think.

 

Again, The article referenced can be found at Enjoy the benefits of nature at DNR education centers

What Is Environmental History?

http://www.eh-resources.org/environmental_history.html

 


This model encompasses the main aspect of environmental history. We must constantly ask the question "how have humans impacted nature," and "how has nature impacted humans?" Many environmental historians don't consider how nature has impacted humans, most are focused solely on how humans impact nature. This, is a sense, is understandable considering over the last few decades environmental awareness has skyrocketed. There are countless reports on how humans are destructive and careless when it comes to respecting the environment. However to encompass the entirety of environmental history one must also consider impact of nature on humans. Donald Worster has three aspects that he says all environmental historians should include in their research, the human intellectual realm, the socioeconomic realm, and the natural realm. The picture above depicts the interaction between humans and nature. These aspects are what environmental historians should focus on.

STEM job growth

http://www.dnj.com/article/20110921/NEWS01/110921017/Tennessee-lead-effort-writing-new-science-standards

I guess this article appeals to me because I am a math & physics major. I have a greater interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) than people who major in other things. However, this article epitomizes why, we as students should take advantage of any STEM education that is offered. No, that doesn't mean you have to take the highest level math course offered to benefit from this. Obviously hardly any of us want to do that. But after reading this article, we might want to take a few more STEM classes than we previously had. The article talks about how Tennessee wants to set the new standard for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Why? Well the article goes on to explain that jobs in Tennessee are beginning to require more and more STEM background. This is happening in most states around the country as well, so don't think avoiding Tennessee means avoiding more math courses in your upcoming semesters. The article argues that offering a high standard of STEM education to students will better prepare them for jobs as they graduate, which is what most of us are looking for right?

"American students continue to lag internationally in science education, making them less competitive for the jobs of the present and the future. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce study shows that over the past 10 years, growth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs. The report also shows that STEM jobs are expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than other jobs in the coming decade."

This is to me, the most impressive paragraph of the article. Americans "lag" in STEM education. We are "less competitive" for jobs. That doesn't sound like something we as Americans strive for which is most likely the cause of the amazing job growth in the STEM field in the U.S. What we should take from this is that in order for Americans to be competitive around the world in everything we do we must begin to add more STEM education to our curriculum.

Correlation Between Relgion and the Environment

Religion and the Environment

"The environment has become one of the major moral issues of our time." -Robin Gill

For years now the issue of environmental sustainability, environmental conservation has been at the forefront of many debates. Environmentalists argue that humans are destructive, possessive and have the mindset that we have a sort of dominion of other living things on earth. The goal for many environmentalists has been to bring this opinion to the attention of many and try to covert humans from destructive, to having a respect for the environment. Many environmentalist have claimed that humans that are tied to a religion are particularly destructive simply because the earth was a "gift" to them. In this article Robin Gill claims otherwise. Using the British Social Attitudes and The British Household Panel Survey, Gill interpreted the data in way that many environmentalists have neglected. The surveys totaled well over 50,000 people and included data such as churchgoers, non churchgoers, occasional churchgoer, and so on. In Gill's research the moral attitudes and behaviors of these people started becoming clear. Gill found that "churchgoing is a highly significant variable on most moral issues." Gill further studied the data and then reports that humans whom are churchgoers and believe in God should respect nature more than the average non churchgoer simply because nature was created by God. Gill also found that surprisingly churchgoers were more likely than non churchgoers to become a member in an environmental group. This fact is astounding to me because most environmentalists have claimed the exact opposite. Now we have researcher who is using data from a very reliable source tell us otherwise.

 



For me, the strongest argument presented in Gill's research is the fact that religious people believe "life, both human and non-human, is created and God-given." If this is something that you believe then you must have a high respect for nature and other forms of life simply because they, too, were created by God. Respecting things which were created in the image of God, is therefore respecting God.  Another strong argument in favor of religion and environment is the fact that if you are a Christian in particular you believe that Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross for our salvation. This salvation can be directed towards the environment as well. A fundamental belief for Christians is love thy neighbor as thy self. This, too, should be translated to the non human aspect of our world.

These arguments now present strong correlation between religion and the environment. I personally believe that religion enhances environmentalism. Religious people spread their knowledge of their religion often, and the hope is that with the spreading of religions, there will be a sense environmental respect instilled in each person that chooses to listen. 

Staten Island Green Charter School for Environmental Discovery

While most schools across the United States have adopted some form of environmental education, not many have taken quite this big of a leap. The upcoming Staten Island Green Charter School for Environmental Discovery is dedicated to "empowering youth as future leaders." The school still recognizes that basic skills are necessary, however the charter school will be among the first to take this one step further. The curriculum will be focused around incorporating factors of environmental education into the already established system for education. The school hopes to create interest and promote discovery through exploration. The school is very focused on creating well rounded and knowledgeable students, but the school is also reaching out to the parents and guardians of the attending students. This is innovative simply because most environmentalist are focused on educating the students because they will solve the problems of tomorrow. However the school recognizes the gap in education for the general public and is offering an opportunity to learn some of the basics of environmentalism. These courses will be taught at the school.
Staten Island Green Charter School for Environmental Discovery

The school is currently in the application phase, but offers more information on their curriculum, mission, and vision for the school.
For more information on the school visit: SIGCS-home