Tag: environment

The Importance of Adaptation: Lessons Learned from Erich Pica

One of our most recent speakers in the Social Change Career Series, Erich Pica, is the President of Friends of the Earth. He has a long career as a lobbyist and activist for the environment and works on policy development. His career series session offers some fascinating thoughts about the importance of today’s political climate; how …

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Responsible Tourism in Madagascar

I’m sure most of you have heard of the island of Madagascar, particularly since the release of the Madagascar animated films, and know that the country is home to numerous animal species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth.  10,000 of the islands 12,000 plant species, for example, are endemic, as are half of the …

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The Health Risks of Climate Change

Climate change is always a controversial topic. People and politicians continue to debate the existence of this phenomenon and the effects it might having on our planet. It always seems like something distant and abstract. Most scientist however are pretty certain that climate change is happening, and recently expressing more and more concern about its …

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Transition Towns

I spent the last month studying abroad, I have realized how differently Western Cultures actually think from each other. I’ve spent the last month traveling around Denmark and England, and have really come to realize how different the countries are from the United States. My class in Denmark focused on sustainable food efforts. This means …

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Rhino’s in the dark

  So far this year, 156 rhinos have been killed in Southern Africa alone. This means that 2 Rhino’s were killed each day of the year so far. These statistics are shocking. Rhino horns sell for around $60 000 per Kilogram or $30 000 per Pound. One full Rhino horn can weigh up to 13.30 …

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Tourism in Cuba?

I’ve written a lot about the opening up of Myanmar and Bhutan and their possibilities for sustainable tourism, so today I thought I would look at another isolated country: Cuba.  Travel between the United States and Cuba has been forbidden since February 8th, 1969, just a few months after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. …

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Running Out Of A Renewable Resource

As we approach World Water Day (March 22) I thought it would be interesting and relevant to take a look at one of the most commonly used resources of our world. Covering approximately 70% of the earth, it’s hard for anyone to think that water is something that we could ever run out of. Something …

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Why We Don’t Need Industrial Agriculture to Feed the World

How many times have you heard someone say something like, “the world’s population is growing and we need to dramatically increase our food production”? And then, heard someone talking about how more pesticides, fertilizer and genetic engineering is going to help us do it. While the intentions of these people may seem good, these proposed …

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A Culture of Consumption: Living in a Material World

I’ll let you in on a secret. You know that shirt you received on Christmas? The one that you were thrilled to wear the first time around? Slightly amused by the second time? And all too soon, you realized the novelty was gone? In a couple of months, the same shirt will inevitably end up …

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Doomsday Tourism

With the End of the World fast approaching, I thought it would be interesting to look at the impact fears of Earth’s imminent destruction are having on tourism. It may seem like an odd line of inquiry, but in fact many people have flocked to areas believed to be, for various reasons, the only place(s) …

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