4900/6900 SY # 4 Let’s start talking about CONSUMPTION

Response due at the beginning of class Feb 2nd.

This is a two part question this week to support your reading of the book Cradle to Cradle. First, I’ll ask you to watch a video by a visionary thinker in the modern sustainability paradigm. Followed by reading a short article on how the ideas from the video are being translated into:

PART 1 – Introduction to Cradle2Cradle (C2C)

1) To support your reading of Cradle 2 Cradle, I ask you that you please watch the short video regarding Cradle2Cradle.

2) After watching the video and thinking about your reading, please write a solid summary explaining what is the Cradle2Cradle paradigm. Please explain the model of production and consumption. You may need to read ahead in the book regarding the difference between Cradle2Cradle and Cradle to Grave.

3) Does the C2C paradigm make sense to you? Or do you feel it is illogical? Please explain your belief either way.

PART 2 – Cradle2Cradle applied to Nike

Please read the article Nike: Running towards Sustainable Consumption by Marc Gunther. After you’ve read the article and watched the short commercial by Nike about “closed loop” production, please answer the following questions:

4) Please explain in your own words the concept of “closed loop” production and consumption. Feel free to do other research on the concept of production and consumption, many people consider “closed loop” to be part of the Cradle to Cradle paradigm and not the Cradle to Grave paradigm. The following image is a great example of a closed loop model being used in a school dining hall environment.

5) Please explain how Nike has implemented the concept of “closed loop” to their production and consumption retail model.

6) Do you respect the work Nike is doing around a closed loop model? Explain your answer.

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Green Expo Extra Credit

On Saturday, Jan 28, Athens is hosting the Green Life Athens Expo at the Classic Center.  I highly encourage you to attend the event.  By vising the website you’ll see that there are some great seminars.  Dr. Vick is presenting about Future of Green Buildings (which should be a great presentation).  But there are many other that should be interesting as well, plus you can easily recycle your batteries and electronics at this event. I always have this huge bag of batteries in my drawer that need to be disposed of properly but I never have anywhere to take them easily.

Now, about the extra credit points, I will give you 10 points, and to earn the 10 pts you must do the following.

1) Show me a phone photo or camera photo of you at the Green life expo (you can just show me the photo in class). You know, a picture of you by a sign of the event or a booth.

2) For each session you attend you must write a re-cap of what you learned from the presenation:

2a. Who was the presenter? or What was the event you attended.

2b. what was the topic presented?

2c.  List 3-5 things you learned during this seminar/event session?

2d.  Did you feel this presenter was “objective” or did you feel like they were “preaching” to you?  Did you respond positively or negatively to their message?

3. You can post your response on this post as a comment.

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4900/6900: SY #3 Health and Stress

Response due at the beginning of class on 1/26.

One of the main risks to health is our stress levels. Research suggests that the higher our stress levels that our health tends to decline, and as we age, we tend to incur more stress and subsequently experience health issues. According to the CDC.gov 1 in 2 American’s has a chronic disease. Part of the tricky balance of life is having it all while maintaining a healthy balance. Yet many speculate that our modern life of constantly being on (“attentional fatigue” as discussed in class) and that we have little downtime that moves us away from stress (i.e. phone, text, facebook, etc..) is harmful to our health.

Read this short article Washington Post article on Stress and Your Body

1. Take these two quick stress quizes:

Quiz 1: College Undergraduate Quiz.  4900 please all take this quick quiz. And tally up your score and if you are comfortable report your score (it is okay if you prefer to keep your score private or share it).   6900 students do not need to take this quiz.

Quiz 2: After College Stress Management Test, and tell us your stress score.  I would like both 4900/6900 to take this quiz.  4900 – I  know that a lot of the questions on this quiz will be more relevant to you when you graduate college, but I think it is good for students to start thinking about the implications of their stress and then what that will mean when you take on more and more life responsibility over the next 4-8 years.

(I just took mine and I got a 259 which means 51% chance of stress related illness, ekkkk…..).

2. Do you think stress has or is affecting your body today?

3. What things do you do now to manage stress?

4. Do you think after school your stress will increase or decrease as you enter the job force, develop complex relationships, etc…

5. Consider the things on the list of the Stress Management Test how will you prepare now to lower stress if and when you encounter those events?

6.  Why do you think I have you discussing stress in a class about Sustainability and the Built Environment?

As always, be thoughtful, use critical thought, and develop high-order thoughts regarding stress in your life.

Also, I’m not going to post an example “comment” this week because I think you understand the quality of answers I am seeking.

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Top 20 Eco-Fashion Websites

For those 4900/6900 students that have a specific interest in the fashion industry, this link to EcoSalon’s article on the Top 20 Eco-Fashion Websites might be of interest to you.  You may find some websites that you want to start following that suit your interests.  I personally enjoy to follow Ecouterre because I have long been a fan of the original design site Inhabitat.

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4900: Option 1 to Prep for LEED GA Exam

Below is some information for those of you consider Option#1 on your final project assignment. We will have a class on Feb 23 dedicated to just talking about prep for the exam, however, if you’d like to start preparation now, please use the following information as a direct guide. I am also happy to meet with you privately to help get your started before Feb 23

LEED Green Associate information LEED credentials now have a tiered system,

Below is a quick excerpt from the USGBC page explaining the tiered system:

“Q: What are the three tiered credentials?
A: Tier I
LEED Green Associate: As the first step in a LEED professional’s career pathway, the Green Associate credential attests to basic knowledge and skill in understanding and supporting green design, construction, and operations. There are no specialties within the LEED Green Associate tier.

Tier II
LEED AP with specialty: The LEED AP with specialty credential signifies an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and specialization in a particular LEED Rating System:

1. Building Design & Construction (BD&C)
2. Operations & Maintenance (O&M)
3. Interior Design & Construction (ID&C)
4. Homes
5. Neighborhood Development (ND)

**You must have field experience working on a LEED project to be eligible for Tier II.

Tier III
LEED AP Fellow: Although the application process is currently under development, this tier will distinguish an elite class of leading professionals. Fellows contribute to the standards of practice and body of knowledge for achieving continuous improvement in the green building field.”

View more information.

Anyone will be eligible to take the LEED Green Associate , which is the Tier I of testing. Once you gain professional work experience on LEED projects, you will then be able to test into Tier II: Leed AP with Specialty.

Page 11 & 12 of the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook explain the Eligibility Requirements:

“To take the LEED Green Associate exam, you must have experience in the form of involvement on a LEED-registered project, employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work, or engagement in (or completion of) an education program that addresses green building principles. You only have to meet one of these criteria to demonstrate eligibility.” (Source: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, p. 12)

Students of Dr. Lee’s 4900/6900, please contact me personally to discuss your eligibility for the Green Associate exam. Non-students of my class reading this post can take educational eligibility requirements offered through USGBC educational website, easy enough to achieve the educational component.

STUDY MATERIALS:

1. First read the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook and it will tell what references are needed to study for the exam (page 8). You must read this handbook to understand how to get started!
2. Read the Green Building & LEED Core Concepts Guide, 1st Edition (US Green Building Council, 2009) (available for purchase at www.usgbc.org/store > Publications). This is a really helpful overview of LEED, itis a great introduction and quick easy way to get the basic grasp of what LEED is all about.
3. Very helpful Study Guide “Walkthrough” that is really really helpful! It does cost a couple dollars but students have found it useful. Due to copyright I can not provide you with a copy but I do I have a copy for you to look over to see if you’d like to consider purchasing it.
4. Definitely take some online exams prior to taking your exam to make sure you are prepared for the exam. This site offers quality exams at reasonable prices (Green Exam Prep). The majority of students agree that using the mock exams is one of the best and primary study tools.

Filed under: Sustainable Design

4900/6900: Wk 2 Are you Present?

Response due at the beginning of class on 1/19.

1. Please take the Life Expectancy Calculator to see how long you are expected to live based on your current lifestyle and behaviors. You’ll need a few minutes to fill this quiz out, it asks a lot of questions in different parts of your life.

2. Tell us your expected age?

3. Are you happy or disappointed with expected age?

4. Were there any suggestions that might help you increase your expected age that you would consider changing?

5. In your own words, what does finding out your life expectancy outcome have anything to do with “Sustainability and the Built Environment”?

6. Pick one day this week to track your “awareness” levels during your daily routine (preferable that you do a M-F day and not a weekend day). The instruction for this activity are located on the attachment. You will see I attached the same document as a both a PDF and Word Doc. For those of you that can access the word doc., then you can just add your answers to the word doc which may be easier for you. The PDF will anyone with any computer to open the file without problem but you can not edit a PDF. Please answer 7-8 using the “comment” feature on the website, but submit a print copy of the “How Present Are You Worksheet” in the beginning of class on 1/19.

WORKSHEET BELOW:

how-present-are-you-worksheet_one-day_PDF

how-present-are-you-worksheet_one-day_Word Doc

7. Why do you think I have asked you to look at your daily awareness and presence in a class about sustainable living?

8. Do you think your daily awareness/present abilities are healthy for you or would like to make some changes?

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Natalia Allen Video Shown in Class

I thought some of you might want access to the Natalia Allen video shown in class.  Her website is Design Futurist.

 

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4900 SY #1: What is Sustainable Living?

Response due at the beginning of class 01/12/2012 .

The term sustainability and sustainable living is a part of our common lexicon. Most people believe they have a working understanding and definition, however what we find is that many people may not be as clear about the topic as they think. At the end of the semester we will revisit your self-made definition of sustainability, sustainable living and sustainability in your discipline/career. It will be interesting to see if your definition changes by the end of the semester.

For your sustainable you post this week (worth 5 pts), please answer the following five questions (click the comment button, add your add your first and last name (last name initial is fine), and your email address (email address will not be visible online):

1. Please define sustainability by your own definition (don’t look it up online, just pour whatever is in your head into the answer). Be detailed and give personal examples.

2) Please define what is sustainable living? (again don’t look it up online, just answer from your existing knowledge base). Be detailed and give personal examples of sustainable living or non-sustainable living.

3) Please define what does sustainability look like in your future major or chosen career? Be detailed and give examples. If you have not selected a major yet, that is okay, just focus on its role in your future as best you can envision.

4) What is your Low Impact Living LILI Score? (see below for directions on how to obtain LILI Score).

5) Briefly discuss your thoughts regarding your LILI Score. Are you happy with your score? Please discuss.

*Please, I encourage (beg) you to not answer what you think I want to hear, but answer honestly. Your grade is not on the level of sustainability you have but on how thoughtful you are in your answer. Be detailed and give personal examples.

**Also, see the first comment to this post from “Megan” for an example of the style (not content) of how you could answer the question.

Please follow the steps below to find your LILI Score:

1. Visit the following website and complete your Low Impact Living calculator evaluation. Be honest! Low Impact Living Online Calculator

2. Once you complete your self-evaluation, sign up quickly for an account to save your answers and analysis.

3. Report to us what is your LILI score? And is that an low score, average score, or higher?

4. Next print out/save electronically and hold onto the list of changes the websites suggests you could make over time.

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Welcome to TXMI 4900: Sustainability and the Built Environment

WELCOME TO TXMI 4900  SPECIAL TOPICS:  SUSTAINABILITY AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

WE WILL USE THIS WEBSITE FOR DISCUSSION AND

LINKS TO WONDERFUL SUSTAINABLE LIVING RELATED RESOURCES

Assignment: Sustainable You Website Discussion

Worth: 5 points (15 entries at 5 pts each)

Discussion Entry Due

At the beginning of each Thursday Class.

The Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the assignment is to assist in developing your knowledge and awareness of resources for sustainable living  issues, topics, news, products and more.

Each week (labeled Week 1 through Week 15) the instructor (Dr. Megan Lee) will post a topic of conversation with suggestions for discussion from you. It is your responsibility to check the website weekly and post your comment for the week before the beginning of each Thursday class.

Type of discussion comments to obtain full points

Comments must showcase critical thought, reference to course textbooks and readings, access of other resources, creativity, and originality of thoughtful discussion. By developing topics of interest will assist in your career by having the ability to demonstrate diversity of sustainable information.

Comments such as “I agree with what was said above” do not include a thoughtful discussion and will not earn full points.

 

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Faculty Approved FYO Events

Sustainable UGA Weekly Update

To promote sustainability-related events on the UGA campus

and in the Athens community

The Campus Sustainability Grants Program is back for its second year! The program provides funding for competitive, student-proposed projects and initiatives designed to advance campus sustainability through education, research, service and operations.

Events and Opportunities This Week

1. Ecology Seminar and Book Signing

When: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 4 – 6 p.m.

Where: Ecology auditorium

What: Jianguo Liu, who received his P.h.D in ecology from UGA in ’92, will discuss his new book, “Sources, Sinks and Sustainability,” which was inspired by the work of ecology Professor Emeritus H. Ronald Pulliam. A reception and book signing with Liu and Pulliam will follow the seminar, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.

2. Georgia Oceans and Health Initiative Seminar

When: Thursday, Dec. 8, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Where: Coverdell Center, room 175

What: Jessica Jones from the FDA’s Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory, will present her work on Haitian water and seafood quality in the aftermath of the recent earthquake.

3. Rain Barrel Seminar

When: Seminar is Dec. 12; registration open until filled

Where: ACC Water Resources Center, 780 Barber St.

What: Athens-Clarke County’s Water Conservation Office is hosting a rain barrel workshop for residents interested in rainwater harvesting. Workshop is $20 and includes the rain barrel you’ll learn to make.

Filed under: Sustainable Design