Greetings

Hi all. My name is Scott. I'm a returning student determined to finally obtain that shiny badge of completion on my collegiate quest. I'm a psychology major, focusing primarily on adolescents, applied behaviorism, and cognitive behavior therapies, especially as opposed to psychopharmacology. My minors are mental health services and philosophy. That being said, I haven't really decided what I want to be when I grow up. I'm pretty comfortable with that.

I initially ignored this class entirely because I don't really consider myself an environmentalist or even find myself particularly concerned with environmental matters in a conscious way. If I were an environmentalist, I would be a hypocrit every day. However, it is being brought to my attention repeatedly that the things I am interested in are not really that far removed from the concepts encompassed by environmentalism and perhaps I have defined it too narrowly. A brief and incomplete list of those random things that I find myself pondering: community, consumerism/minimalism/capitalism/tribalism, -isms in general; social dynamics, sustainability, civilization, heirarchy, class, food sources, health, connection, education, other ways to live... Those things dovetail much more readily into the other aspect of the course, activism. But I don't really consider myself an activist either. I have activist thoughts and activist yearnings but not really activist actions. I've been called an apathetic activist on occasion and unfortunately must admit that this is true. I am also admittedly more ignorant on the facts of environmental issues than I would care to be. I am hoping that this class will help rectify both issues to some degree.

I think the simplest way to describe the connection I see between the environment and issues of social justice is to say that in some ways we are the environment. Environmental issues are not always confined to THE ENVIRONMENT but also the various individualistic environments of our societies and communities creating layer upon layer. Because of our inherent entanglement with those environments how we interact with our world is also how we interact with one another. I see it as a sort of sociocultural environmental psychology. That's my perspective, I may be entirely wrong.

Good 'ole Waldy

Gutentag!

My name is William Phillips, I am double majoring in English and Audio Engineering, minoring in Journalism, and thinking about minoring in Philosophy as long as the scholarship and loan money keep pumping in. :] I consider myself a Transhumanist, Mahayana Buddhist, Communist, and obviously a bit pretentious. As far as                               Environmentalism goes, I didn't really have an opinion until I came to college and met my girlfriend, whom is a total a tree hugging hippie. Sadly, not in the sexy trendy girl way, but the never cuts her hair, saves bugs, and actually hugs trees way. :P

Regardless, she opened my eyes to ways I could help, and we started a little club amongst ourselves and friends called Sovereign, which simply kept us in like minded company, and came up with ways for us to inform our community, basics to greening up our lives, and even a little Buddhist propaganda thrown in. I personally would like to take it into the terrorism department, because I believe Anonymous has done more for freedom than Occupy Wall Street, but I guess militant radicalism died in the 60's with Malcom. Either way, I'm about actively helping anyway I can. I believe our generation is the most informed, and yet the most ignorant/easily led. Due to Sound Bites, and the internet turning conspiracy theorist and entertainers into journalist, we all have an abundance of information constantly being thrown at us, but it's mostly wrong. Anyway, I'll stop there before I go off on a tangent.

Nick Barnett

My name is Nick Barnett. I'm a philosophy major. Although I do not currently consider myself an environmental activist, I am interested in the environment and sustaining it. I wish to take from this class the ability to discuss, in detail, many issues surrounding the environment while developing a personal point of view on such topics.

Willie Todd

My name is Willie Todd. I am double majoring in English and Philosophy. I am not an activist, however I do my best to live a vegan lifestyle and keep my carbon footprint light. I am primarily interested in ethics and how to live a healthy, meaningful life. From this class I hope to gain a better insight into what it means to be an American in our time, the concerns and inevitable repercussions of our indulgences, and pragmatic solutions to such concerns and inevitabilities.

Enter the Environmentalist

Hello! My name is Joshua. Josh, for short. My major is Philosophy with a minor in Environmental Science-Energy Technology. I'm in my fourth year at MTSU working toward a Bachelor of Arts with plans to attend law school afterwards. I have a strong interest in the fundamental rights of humanity and would like to apply that interest into the field of International Human Rights. For this course, Environmental Ethics, I am most interested in discussing the power of community, the resolve of the Environmentalist, and the ability of the Activist to affect change within a disaffected populace. Is it possible? Are We ready? Can We do this? YES-We Can. Not I, We, together; I am ecstatic to be in the same camp with those of like mind; Let's save this world from itself, y'all!

Julliane

Hello I am Julliane Stout. I am very excited about taking this class. I am a Senior again....but I am finally graduating this semester. I am a Philosophy major with a minor in Political Science. Although I do not consider myself an Activist I think I once was. When I was a Freshman here at MTSU I used to walk around barefoot I would Protest at various functions and I was a vegetarian. Although I still find some of these former Activist traits to be admirable I believe it's harder to take someone seriously who is not aloud in gas stations because of their lack of apparel. Instead I want to take a new more formidable approach to Enviornmental Activism. I have always been a huge fan of Professional sports and I hope to one day raise Environmental awareness to sports fans and athletes everywhere. Sports fans have a distinct pride in tradition that makes them feel like they are a part of a team. If these professional teams are moved toward a greener way to play the game, then maybe their fans will be inspired as well. I want to somehow incorporate this theory into a career in sports journalism.

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello- My name is Morgan.  I am a senior at Middle Tennessee State University with a double major in Philosophy and Political Science.  My philosophical interests lean toward Ethics, Bioethics, and Political Theory.  My approach toward this Environmental Ethics class is not as an activist but as a rigorous truth seeker.  My environmental questions and worries include our food system, the geo-political implications concerning our energy policy, as well as effects of a social justice movement on the U.S. capitalist system.  Larger questions I hope to explore this semester include Can one be a Christian and an environmentalist?  What value does the environmental movement place on human life?  and What are the proper roles of government versus the private sector in environmental issues and how will current and future technological advances influence the environmental agenda?  I am excited to enter into discourse with you all and hope both we and the earth benefit.

Environmental Ethics and Activism on the radio

"Dr. Phil Oliver, an MTSU philosophy professor, will discuss his fall class in “Environmental Ethics” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27, and 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, on “MTSU On the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).
Oliver, who has taught the class intermittently for 10 years, approaches the subject from the standpoints of various thinkers who have had an impact on public viewpoints.
The interview will cover how perspectives of environmentalism have changed since the 1960s, conflicts with animal-rights issues and comparisons of conservationism and environmentalism.
To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives here.
For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800."

• On the Record“Environmental Ethics” with Dr. Phil Oliver
• listen | more 

http://mtsu.edu/news/podcast/2012/OTR_09-04-12.mp3

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 BY MTSU NEWS AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Producer/Host: Gina Logue
Guest: Dr. Phil Oliver

Synopsis: Dr. Phil Oliver, a professor of philosophy, describes his fall 2012 class on “Environmental Ethics” and takes on some of the ethical challenges involving green politics and maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Listen to: Environmental Ethics

FILED UNDER: AUDIO CLIPS, ON THE RECORD TAGGED WITH: "MTSU ON THE RECORD", ANIMAL RIGHTS, CONSERVATION, ECOLOGY,ENVIRONMENT, ETHICS, JOHN MUIR, MTSU, RECYCLING

‘MTSU On the Record’ focuses on ethics and the environment

If people really understood

"that in the lifetime of their children they're going to have destroyed the quality of the air and the water all over the world, they'd do something about it. But this is not well understood."

That was Senator Gaylord Nelson, a different kind of Wisconsin politician from another time, announcing the first Earth Day in 1970. It's our starting point for the Environmental Ethics and Activism course at Middle Tennessee State University this Fall. Are people ready at last to understand?



Delight Springs

America the Possible: A Manifesto, Part I

"We can realize a new American Dream if enough of us join together in the fight for it. This new dream envisions an America where the pursuit of happiness is sought not in more getting and spending, but in the growth of human solidarity, real democracy, and devotion to the public good; where the average American is empowered to achieve his or her human potential; where the benefits of economic activity are widely and equitably shared; where the environment is sustained for current and future generations; and where the virtues of simple living, community self-reliance, good fellowship, and respect for nature predominate. These American traditions may not prevail today, but they are not dead. They await us, and indeed they are today being awakened across this great land. New ways of living and working, sharing and caring are emerging across America. They beckon us with a new American Dream, one rebuilt from the best of the old, drawing on the best of who we were and are and can be.

America the Possible: A Manifesto, Part I | James Gustave Speth | Orion Magazine

Why Young Environmentalists Still Have Hope

"McKibben calls for turning our full attention to fighting fossil fuel companies. To this I would add that we need to double down on local campaigns targeted at specific mining or energy development projects. Why? Because they work. On the ground, surrounded by friends and family, fighting both for our planet and the places we love, we're already finding our power.

With little fanfare, grassroots groups around the country have turned the tide on fossil fuel development. They have been supported by smart national groups like the Sierra Club, 350.org, and the Energy Action Coalition. To take one example, the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign has supported volunteers across the country as they've successfully fought to halt two thirds of all proposals for new coal-fired power plants put forth since 2001. The campaign is now aiming to close all of the nation's 530 existing coal plants by 2030."

Why Young Environmentalists Still Have Hope - Billy Parish - The Atlantic

McKibben: Do the Math

Bill McKibben's new Rolling Stone essay has been getting lots of well-deserved attention. We all need to read and digest it, and then insist that our elected representatives do the same.

"Sometimes the irony is almost Borat-scale obvious: In early June, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled on a Norwegian research trawler to see firsthand the growing damage from climate change. "Many of the predictions about warming in the Arctic are being surpassed by the actual data," she said, describing the sight as "sobering." But the discussions she traveled to Scandinavia to have with other foreign ministers were mostly about how to make sure Western nations get their share of the estimated $9 trillion in oil (that's more than 90 billion barrels, or 37 gigatons of carbon) that will become accessible as the Arctic ice melts. Last month, the Obama administration indicated that it would give Shell permission to start drilling in sections of the Arctic."

Global Warming's Terrifying New Math | Politics News | Rolling Stone

His HuffPo piece on the Climate Deniers and Hoaxers in Congress and elsewhere drips with pointed irony too. If an honest laugh can be had in all this, here it is.

“Why aren’t you young people out protesting the mess

that’s being made of the planet?” EO Wilson

"Can enough of us get that inspired feeling back, and that sense of righteous mission on behalf of our fragile planet, to make a difference? Do we really need to? What does the environment have to do with broader issues of social justice, the 99% Movement, and the upcoming election season? Is it too late to dream of building a sustainable ecology? Is there anything wrong with eco-utopian dreams? Just some of the questions we’ll take up in Environmental Ethics & Activism (EEA).

Our main texts: Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest, James Speth’s Bridge at the Edge of the World, Bill McKibben’s Global Warming Reader, Van Jones’s Rebuild the Dream, Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia."

Up@dawn

What Curiosity Can Tell Us About Climate Change

"You learn about how to understand an atmosphere by seeing different atmospheres," said Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist from Texas A&M University who is part of Curiosity's climate team. "And the more we know about Mars' atmosphere, the better we can really understand our own."

Curiosity allows scientists to "break the model," he said. "We find out much, much more about our place in the universe than we could know just by contemplating ourselves."

What the Mars Rover Can Tell Us About Climate Change | Mother Jones

Nature's sunny, everyday beauty

Like John Muir, I have little use for the supernatural. Nature suffices.

for, absorbed in glad Nature, spirit-rappings, second sight, ghost stories, etc., have never interested me since boyhood, seeming comparatively useless and infinitely less wonderful than Nature's open, harmonious, songful, sunny, every-day beauty.