2010 Global Sustainability Summer School-Blog - Revision history

Joe Cresko: /* Thursday July 22 */

2010-07-22T16:15:17Z

Thursday July 22

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:15, 22 July 2010
Line 124:		Line 124:

	Joe Cresko <br>		Joe Cresko <br>
	On issues of peer review discussed by ~~Prfo~~. Schellnhuber - interesting article "Rethinking Peer Review" in The New Atlantis <br>		On issues of peer review discussed by Prof. Schellnhuber - interesting article "Rethinking Peer Review" in The New Atlantis <br>
	http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/rethinking-peer-review		http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/rethinking-peer-review

	==Friday July 23==		==Friday July 23==

Joe Cresko: /* Thursday July 22 */

2010-07-22T16:14:56Z

Thursday July 22

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:14, 22 July 2010
Line 122:		Line 122:
	Stephen Posner<br>		Stephen Posner<br>
	John Paul Gonzales<br>		John Paul Gonzales<br>

			Joe Cresko <br>
			On issues of peer review discussed by Prfo. Schellnhuber - interesting article "Rethinking Peer Review" in The New Atlantis <br>
			http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/rethinking-peer-review

	==Friday July 23==		==Friday July 23==

Thermos79: /* Wednesday July 21 */

2010-07-22T05:46:10Z

Wednesday July 21

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:46, 22 July 2010
Line 114:		Line 114:
	I apologize for the picture, as it was taken on my phone, but to clarify, the mural shows industrial production spewing pollution into the atmosphere, and transitions, somehow through a man in the middle, to a world of green grass and blue skies where the Roadrunner Commuter Train flies by windmills and solar panels collecting energy. This mural, appearing in a palace of consumption, struck me as incredibly contradictory (though perhaps that was the point, yet I'm still confused as to why the mall would allow such a mural to be put up). My own feeling is that it may highlight exactly what our problem is. Americans (at least some of them) seem to have at least a vague idea of what the problem is, and where we need to go. They just have no foggy clue as to what got us here.		I apologize for the picture, as it was taken on my phone, but to clarify, the mural shows industrial production spewing pollution into the atmosphere, and transitions, somehow through a man in the middle, to a world of green grass and blue skies where the Roadrunner Commuter Train flies by windmills and solar panels collecting energy. This mural, appearing in a palace of consumption, struck me as incredibly contradictory (though perhaps that was the point, yet I'm still confused as to why the mall would allow such a mural to be put up). My own feeling is that it may highlight exactly what our problem is. Americans (at least some of them) seem to have at least a vague idea of what the problem is, and where we need to go. They just have no foggy clue as to what got us here.

	On a lighter note (and with apologies to Brian Arthur), I propose a new El Farol Bar Problem. Let's say you walk a mile from St. John's to El Farol Bar in the rain, but when you arrive and order a Modelo Especial, the bartender asks you for $7.50. Do you pay the bartender and drink the beer, knowing that it will bring you far, far less than $7.50 in enjoyment, or do you refuse on principle and walk back another mile in the rain, with no enjoyment whatsoever?		On a lighter note (and with apologies to Brian Arthur), I propose a new El Farol Bar Problem. Let's say you walk a mile from St. John's to El Farol Bar in the rain, but when you arrive and order a Modelo Especial, the bartender asks you for $7.50. Do you pay the bartender and drink the beer, knowing that it will bring you far, far less than $7.50 in enjoyment, or do you refuse on principle and walk back another mile in the rain, with no enjoyment whatsoever? <br>
	Michael Dorsey<br>		Michael Dorsey<br>
	Christian Casillas<br>		Christian Casillas<br>

Thermos79: /* Wednesday July 21 */

2010-07-22T05:45:03Z

Wednesday July 21

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:45, 22 July 2010
Line 111:		Line 111:
	John Robert Baker<br>		John Robert Baker<br>
	On Sunday, I had the great misfortune of spending the greater part of my day at the mall getting my glasses repaired. Unfortunately, I had no backup pair, so while the excellent craftsman at Sunset Optical was working his magic, I was stuck wandering around the mall for several hours with poor vision. I felt rather lucky that so many vendors tolerated a squinty looking fellow peering into the stores over and over again, then shaking his head in disgust and walking away, only to return a quarter-hour later. In light of our many conversation about how we, as a society, can even begin to reduce our consumption, the normally vapid capitalism of a mall seemed, if anything, more intolerable. However, I was somehow able to resist the urge to purchase an Orange Julius with matching orange boots and spurs from the Boot Barn, and on my way out, glasses repaired, I was struck by a mural next to one of the exits.		On Sunday, I had the great misfortune of spending the greater part of my day at the mall getting my glasses repaired. Unfortunately, I had no backup pair, so while the excellent craftsman at Sunset Optical was working his magic, I was stuck wandering around the mall for several hours with poor vision. I felt rather lucky that so many vendors tolerated a squinty looking fellow peering into the stores over and over again, then shaking his head in disgust and walking away, only to return a quarter-hour later. In light of our many conversation about how we, as a society, can even begin to reduce our consumption, the normally vapid capitalism of a mall seemed, if anything, more intolerable. However, I was somehow able to resist the urge to purchase an Orange Julius with matching orange boots and spurs from the Boot Barn, and on my way out, glasses repaired, I was struck by a mural next to one of the exits.
	[[Image:MallMural.jpg]]		[[Image:MallMural.jpg]]<br>
			I apologize for the picture, as it was taken on my phone, but to clarify, the mural shows industrial production spewing pollution into the atmosphere, and transitions, somehow through a man in the middle, to a world of green grass and blue skies where the Roadrunner Commuter Train flies by windmills and solar panels collecting energy. This mural, appearing in a palace of consumption, struck me as incredibly contradictory (though perhaps that was the point, yet I'm still confused as to why the mall would allow such a mural to be put up). My own feeling is that it may highlight exactly what our problem is. Americans (at least some of them) seem to have at least a vague idea of what the problem is, and where we need to go. They just have no foggy clue as to what got us here.

			On a lighter note (and with apologies to Brian Arthur), I propose a new El Farol Bar Problem. Let's say you walk a mile from St. John's to El Farol Bar in the rain, but when you arrive and order a Modelo Especial, the bartender asks you for $7.50. Do you pay the bartender and drink the beer, knowing that it will bring you far, far less than $7.50 in enjoyment, or do you refuse on principle and walk back another mile in the rain, with no enjoyment whatsoever?
	Michael Dorsey<br>		Michael Dorsey<br>
	Christian Casillas<br>		Christian Casillas<br>

Thermos79: /* Wednesday July 21 */

2010-07-22T05:34:52Z

Wednesday July 21

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:34, 22 July 2010
Line 110:		Line 110:
	==Wednesday July 21==		==Wednesday July 21==
	John Robert Baker<br>		John Robert Baker<br>
			On Sunday, I had the great misfortune of spending the greater part of my day at the mall getting my glasses repaired. Unfortunately, I had no backup pair, so while the excellent craftsman at Sunset Optical was working his magic, I was stuck wandering around the mall for several hours with poor vision. I felt rather lucky that so many vendors tolerated a squinty looking fellow peering into the stores over and over again, then shaking his head in disgust and walking away, only to return a quarter-hour later. In light of our many conversation about how we, as a society, can even begin to reduce our consumption, the normally vapid capitalism of a mall seemed, if anything, more intolerable. However, I was somehow able to resist the urge to purchase an Orange Julius with matching orange boots and spurs from the Boot Barn, and on my way out, glasses repaired, I was struck by a mural next to one of the exits.
			[[Image:MallMural.jpg]]
	Michael Dorsey<br>		Michael Dorsey<br>
	Christian Casillas<br>		Christian Casillas<br>

Dcoelho: /* Monday July 19 */

2010-07-20T03:59:47Z

Monday July 19

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:59, 20 July 2010
Line 99:		Line 99:
	Dana Coelho<br>		Dana Coelho<br>

	There have been many stimulating and wonderful things going on this past week here in Santa Fe. So as not to be a blog hog, I'll just ruminate on two of them. First is the diversity of people and ideas. Outside of academics (or inside, for that matter) this is not exactly something I (perhaps we) encounter on a daily basis, so I value the exposure immensely. The energy generated by our ability to openly challenge one another to think outside of our boxes - quantitative, qualitative, social, physical, ecological, financial, etc. - is palpable. Thank you all for creating this space and continuing to ask such probing questions. The second is perhaps a bit more topic-oriented. Ecosystem services: I think that boiling this concept down to a purely market-based idea misses a lot of its explanatory and potentially game-changing power. If sustainable development is a people-centric concept (which I fundamentally believe it is) and people in society depend on the environment (which, as a student of ecological economics, I also believe is true), then understanding this dependence is absolutely necessary. The concept of ecosystem services provides a framework within which to understand how elements and functions of nature create services that people in society need, desire, and value. And, FYI, since it seems timely... I got this call for papers for a conference next year 30 June - 2 July on [www.iss.nl/nature2011 Nature™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in Environmental Policy and Conservation] @ ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands. Perhaps we will meet again to continue this debate...		There have been many stimulating and wonderful things going on this past week here in Santa Fe. So as not to be a blog hog, I'll just ruminate on two of them. First is the diversity of people and ideas. Outside of academics (or inside, for that matter) this is not exactly something I (perhaps we) encounter on a daily basis, so I value the exposure immensely. The energy generated by our ability to openly challenge one another to think outside of our boxes - quantitative, qualitative, social, physical, ecological, financial, etc. - is palpable. Thank you all for creating this space and continuing to ask such probing questions. The second is perhaps a bit more topic-oriented. Ecosystem services: I think that boiling this concept down to a purely market-based idea misses a lot of its explanatory and potentially game-changing power. If sustainable development is a people-centric concept (which I fundamentally believe it is) and people in society depend on the environment (which, as a student of ecological economics, I also believe is true), then understanding this dependence is absolutely necessary. The concept of ecosystem services provides a framework within which to understand how elements and functions of nature create services that people in society need, desire, and value. And, FYI, since it seems timely... I got this call for papers for a conference next year 30 June - 2 July on [http://www.iss.nl/nature2011 Nature™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in Environmental Policy and Conservation] @ ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands. Perhaps we will meet again to continue this debate...

	Hongtao Yi<br>		Hongtao Yi<br>

Dcoelho: /* Monday July 19 */

2010-07-20T03:59:23Z

Monday July 19

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:59, 20 July 2010
Line 96:		Line 96:
	==Monday July 19==		==Monday July 19==
	Hitesh Soneji<br>		Hitesh Soneji<br>

	Dana Coelho<br>		Dana Coelho<br>

			There have been many stimulating and wonderful things going on this past week here in Santa Fe. So as not to be a blog hog, I'll just ruminate on two of them. First is the diversity of people and ideas. Outside of academics (or inside, for that matter) this is not exactly something I (perhaps we) encounter on a daily basis, so I value the exposure immensely. The energy generated by our ability to openly challenge one another to think outside of our boxes - quantitative, qualitative, social, physical, ecological, financial, etc. - is palpable. Thank you all for creating this space and continuing to ask such probing questions. The second is perhaps a bit more topic-oriented. Ecosystem services: I think that boiling this concept down to a purely market-based idea misses a lot of its explanatory and potentially game-changing power. If sustainable development is a people-centric concept (which I fundamentally believe it is) and people in society depend on the environment (which, as a student of ecological economics, I also believe is true), then understanding this dependence is absolutely necessary. The concept of ecosystem services provides a framework within which to understand how elements and functions of nature create services that people in society need, desire, and value. And, FYI, since it seems timely... I got this call for papers for a conference next year 30 June - 2 July on [www.iss.nl/nature2011 Nature™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in Environmental Policy and Conservation] @ ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands. Perhaps we will meet again to continue this debate...

	Hongtao Yi<br>		Hongtao Yi<br>

JGonzales: /* Saturday July 17 */

2010-07-19T17:12:59Z

Saturday July 17

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:12, 19 July 2010
Line 74:		Line 74:


	[[JP]]: One funny comment that came up: "It's more like Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Recycle" - Gabe Chan		[[JP]]: I don't know Taos very well, but in New Mexico it is generally disliked in many of the Hispanic communities because of the historical tension between Hispanics and the Anglos/hippies that moved in during the 60s and 70s. I might bring a lot of that prejudice to the table.

			Taos was "interesting" for me. It's become disgustingly popular in the past few years and there seems to be this trend of [http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/secondhomes/2010-07-08-taos-new-mexico_N.htm second homes] in Taos as the next must-have accessory. Gentrification is a difficult thing for me because I see it as the marginalization of a deep and genuine culture that I've grown up with. The word "quaint" in my view is a horrible word, because it implies something akin to a dollhouse or Disneyland that "real" people come around to play with and dip their toes into the culture without any of the hardship that goes into the lifestyle.

			Case in point: the [http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=taos+truck&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= Taos Truck]. A late 1950-early 1960s pickup is seen as the quintessential image of Northern New Mexico and the rural character associated with the area. My pet theory for this image ((that I've no way studied and is only opinion) is that during the early 1980s when Santa Fe had its popularity boom, pickups from 30 years ago were common because the local farmers (who used to work on the northwest part of town -- all gone now) were simply too poor to afford a new truck every seven years. If you drive around small towns in the North new (like Mora, Las Vegas, etc) you'll see vehicles from the late 1970s and early 1980s, which matches the 30 year offset. In Taos there was a store selling cute kitschy ceramic pickups with farm slogans plastered all over them. They were going for $800.

			Maybe the next kitschy item you'll see is the [http://image.4wheeloffroad.com/f/17332283/131_0908_02_z+build_a_cheap_truck+1970s_chevy_truck.jpg Las Vegas truck], which are quite prevalent around the area of Las Vegas and Mora, NM.

			Enough for the negativity:

			Visiting the Earthships and some of the detail that goes into building a home of that sort is quite inspiring to me. It'e eventually like to build my own home, and rammed earth/tire construction and thermal barriers (and maybe even a natural greywater recycling system) is now definitely a consideration. I think in this case some sort of "what's best for the individual is best for the group" notion, and I personally like the idea of high efficiency homes and no-cost energy. If it's better for the world, that's gravy.

			Taking the high road trip back is always refreshing. The small towns that were once and may be again largely self-sufficient makes me appreciate the area all the more, and to see that they've not been gentrified and the local population marginalized even with heterogeneous residents as has been the case in Santa Fe and Taos gives me some hope for some sort

			The high road trip back down was another one of those amazing NM sunsets: even I've never seen a single beam of light spearing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virga virga] an turning it golden before. Quite amazing. Top that off with Love Apple, Angelinas, etc, and it was just a beautiful day.

			One funny comment that came up during the deliriously exhausted ride home: "It's more like Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Recycle" - Gabe Chan

	==Sunday July 18==		==Sunday July 18==

JGonzales: /* Saturday July 17 */

2010-07-19T15:49:04Z

Saturday July 17

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:49, 19 July 2010
Line 72:		Line 72:

	Northbound, about 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe, we cracked into a few big-picture ideas, periodically interrupting each other to point beyond the highway -- talus slopes, tourist-ballasted river rafts, mesa walls of dipping strata, pine-thick mountain flanks unraveling into valley chaparral. (All of it fodder for thinking about complex, dynamic relationships between landscapes and land-use transitions.) Southbound, we took the high road from Taos and this time shimmed our stories between exclamations about bison, dust devils, pickup-truck dogs, cloud breaks, and the rain-blued mountains to the west. By the time Highway 84 widened into the Santa Fe fringe, excitement about our coming collaboration was palpable. We'd already seen our metaphor from the ridge -- all the distance we'll soon be traveling, the verdant expanse of possibilities there to explore.<br>		Northbound, about 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe, we cracked into a few big-picture ideas, periodically interrupting each other to point beyond the highway -- talus slopes, tourist-ballasted river rafts, mesa walls of dipping strata, pine-thick mountain flanks unraveling into valley chaparral. (All of it fodder for thinking about complex, dynamic relationships between landscapes and land-use transitions.) Southbound, we took the high road from Taos and this time shimmed our stories between exclamations about bison, dust devils, pickup-truck dogs, cloud breaks, and the rain-blued mountains to the west. By the time Highway 84 widened into the Santa Fe fringe, excitement about our coming collaboration was palpable. We'd already seen our metaphor from the ridge -- all the distance we'll soon be traveling, the verdant expanse of possibilities there to explore.<br>


			[[JP]]: One funny comment that came up: "It's more like Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Recycle" - Gabe Chan

	==Sunday July 18==		==Sunday July 18==

Debstrumsky: /* Thursday July 15 */

2010-07-19T06:11:50Z

Thursday July 15

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ==Thursday July 15==
 Deborah	Strumsky<br>
 Therese Hertel<br>
 Today we changed our lecture-location for the first time. We had all day at the Santa Fe Institute. to be continued :)