Sydney 28th March 2014.
The Laws of thermodynamics.
So, let's do a review on yesterday's lecture.
Michael talked about the equations we use to see if processes are sustainable.
Up till now, they haven't used the laws of thermodynamics.
Including these laws means that the rate of change of these processes can more accurately be measured. And by that, one can more accurately tell if a process is sustainable or not.
I've never heard of such things. So my head was spinning right round! I did my readings before class and also watched the film on youtube, but what I could make out of it is that we need to rethink all these processes going on around the world in order to sustain our present way of life.
Because the world gets more and more poulated, and a bigger population needs more fuel, more houses, more space and will create more waste. And these losses and wastes ultimately affect the earth. And to reverse the process, we need to find other ways of producing and polluting.
Now I understand that that's simply not enough. If you've found another way of producing and polluting, you need to measure it to see if your new "ways" are undeed better than your old ones!
Even the way in wich you calculate this, needs to be so that you get reliable results.
That 's why the laws of thermodynamics need to be included into the used equations.
And they also need to be refined. Because the equations inevitably bear limitations and disadvantages. Yes, thinking, thinking, rethinking. And again thinking, thinking and rethinking.
See why my head started to spin right round?
So what are some of these equations? Equations to measure whether or not it's sustainable to build above an aquifer, or to measure how much tree loss is required for sufficient produce of paper, or how much Carbon stays circulating in the atmosphere and in turn affects the earth's climate.
A typical equation is the following: 1/A*dwx/dz =Total (Ri).
Ok, this is mind bustling : the A is the area, the dwx/dz is the change within the value/ change over time, and the R is the rate.
So rate is very important, because the rate of how fast something either is consumpted, produced, assimilated, depleted or accumulated shows if the process is sustainable or needs to sustainified.
Hey, sustainified! To become more sustainable... Oeps, does the word sustainify really exist??
Anyway, there were huges processses going on in my head, because I had to make sure that the information during the lecture was comprehended (consumption), absorbed (assimilated), and maybe also put in practice! (either produced or accumulated or both). And of course : in a sustainable way !!! Hmmm...food for thought. Brings me to my next subject : Inequity.
(https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/thermodynamics/the-laws-of-thermodynamics/the-three-laws-of-thermodynamics/)
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Friday, 21 March 2014
The third week of our course 20 March 2014: Ecological Footprint
Sydney, 21st of March 2014
We need to reduce our ecological footprint!
Why? Because we are heading towards a catastrophe if we don't.
That is the main message I pcked out of our 3rd lecture.
How are we going to do that? After all, no one wants to give up their current lifestyle.
But if we don't, we severely mess up our future.
Earlier civilisations have collapsed because they had an unsustainable relationship with their environment. I think of the Indus civilisation, the Missisipi civilisation and maybe the ancient Romans. But others were able to create harmony between teirselves and their surrounding environment. You can think of Isphahan, Ancient Egypt, some chinese cities and terrace agriculture in Java. So it is possible to create a balance between development and nature.
We had to prepare ourself for this lecture by looking at the Amazon civilisation and how they used 'terra preta' to feed their population. Again, they found a balance between nature and development and had large villages, full of people, until their civilisation was ruined by european colonisation.
Hmmmmm....So after the discovery of Columbus, the world changed and ultimately the Industrial Revolution began, which was driven by a linear thinking model and now that we ( the whole world) begin to suffer from its effects, we need to develop a cyclic model. Then humanity will find a balance between nature and development and we will be able to decrease our ecological footprint sustainably.
What is this ecological footprint made of? Let's look at the picture undernaeth
The more you use, the higher your ecological footprint.
The more utilities, the higher your ecological footprint.
But if all earth adopts this life style, this system will collapse.
So implementing change is for the sake of our Earth, cause there is no second Earth or escape planet.
We need to reduce our ecological footprint!
Why? Because we are heading towards a catastrophe if we don't.
That is the main message I pcked out of our 3rd lecture.
How are we going to do that? After all, no one wants to give up their current lifestyle.
But if we don't, we severely mess up our future.
Earlier civilisations have collapsed because they had an unsustainable relationship with their environment. I think of the Indus civilisation, the Missisipi civilisation and maybe the ancient Romans. But others were able to create harmony between teirselves and their surrounding environment. You can think of Isphahan, Ancient Egypt, some chinese cities and terrace agriculture in Java. So it is possible to create a balance between development and nature.
We had to prepare ourself for this lecture by looking at the Amazon civilisation and how they used 'terra preta' to feed their population. Again, they found a balance between nature and development and had large villages, full of people, until their civilisation was ruined by european colonisation.
Hmmmmm....So after the discovery of Columbus, the world changed and ultimately the Industrial Revolution began, which was driven by a linear thinking model and now that we ( the whole world) begin to suffer from its effects, we need to develop a cyclic model. Then humanity will find a balance between nature and development and we will be able to decrease our ecological footprint sustainably.
What is this ecological footprint made of? Let's look at the picture undernaeth
(http://wwf.panda.org/_core/general.cfc?method=getOriginalImage&uImgID=%26%2AR%2C%29%20%3EC6%0A)
My own opinion:
So the more you have, the higher your ecological footprint.My own opinion:
The more you use, the higher your ecological footprint.
The more utilities, the higher your ecological footprint.
But if all earth adopts this life style, this system will collapse.
So implementing change is for the sake of our Earth, cause there is no second Earth or escape planet.
Sunday, 16 March 2014
The second week of our course 13 March 2014 "cradle to Cradle"
"Cradle to cradle"
The book written by Michael Braungart and William Mcdonough.
What is it all about? It introduces a sustainable way of thinking.
You have to reduce, reuse, recycle. That means to more with less so the damge is minimal.
It even wants to take us beyond sustainability and makes us design for abundance. Because if you design with care and according to nature, you get more out of your design than when you just design.
Ofcourse some ideas are bold, for example to make paper from something else than trees. And the book is made of that material. But that idea is also imaginative and deserves to have a serious look at. Because in the last half century we have developed through ways that will eventually harm us.
The book written by Michael Braungart and William Mcdonough.
What is it all about? It introduces a sustainable way of thinking.
You have to reduce, reuse, recycle. That means to more with less so the damge is minimal.
It even wants to take us beyond sustainability and makes us design for abundance. Because if you design with care and according to nature, you get more out of your design than when you just design.
Ofcourse some ideas are bold, for example to make paper from something else than trees. And the book is made of that material. But that idea is also imaginative and deserves to have a serious look at. Because in the last half century we have developed through ways that will eventually harm us.
And now this book teaches us concepts of ways that nature already uses. Maybe by this book and ideas that follow out of it, we can start another Industrial revolution, this time not because of nature, but together with nature.
Monday, 10 March 2014
The first week of our course 6-3-2014
Introduction
We need to blog!
That was the message I got out of the first course.
It's basically about keeping a Journal. And an easy way to do it is by blogging.
So how was this first week?
On the programe table, it said we had our courses in room G0001.
But when I arrived there at six, there were only a handful of students.
When almost a quarter passed, we suddenly heard the lecture was taking place somewhere else, so it was rushing time (again).
What did Micheal Neumann talk about?
Ecological Footprint. We need to change our way of living. There is something coming, will it be a catastrophy? We don't know! But why wait? We can start taking actions now! By reducing your ecological footprint. So we need to measure our ecological footprint. I measured mine and it was a shocking 4.47 earths for my lifestyle! (http://myfootprint.org/en/quiz_results/)
I immediately went to Reduce My Footprint (http://myfootprint.org/en/take_action/reduce_your_footprint/).
I couldn't believe it! But it's true, I contribute to climate change and in an alarming way!!
There I read that you can reduce your ecological footprint by walking more ( to work or the groceries), avoiding the airplane, adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, using green electricity ( like soalar electricity), adopting water-saving habits ( like taking less showers and repairing leaks ), to buy less, recycle and compose.
Lifestyle
What else did I learn? Well that adopting a different lifestyle is easier said than done, because we need to setback and lower our expectations. And if we do business as usual, something is about to happen. People have thought of numerous ways to deal with this climate issue, so far without significant results. What will the future bring?
We need to start thinking and more important: start acting!
So now I'm inspired to reduce my ecological footprint. Michael Neumann has inspired me more by the example he sets (he recycles, he composts, buys second hand ).
But immediately I start thinking : How to compost when I'm renting? How do Iinstall solar panels on a roof that isn't mine? How to go by without meat?
In short, we need to work together in order to switch our attitudes which are contributing to climate change. We need to spread the message. Their are major principles at stake. And we also need to bring the message clear and understandable so that more and more people join our sides.
(https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lifestyle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ANSBU6m-GoElAWn7IGIBA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1034&bih=571#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=gEfLDQV1RYMKvM%253A%3Bvmfu3dmPYlvqbM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-HRp2On93EZs%252FTXkaye6TY9I%252FAAAAAAAAALY%252Fl9jqT3BX4-w%252Fs1600%252FEPHC%252BLifestyle%252Bposter%252B2-sided%2525255B1%2525255D_Page_2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdrlifestylesevidenceforhealth.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F06%252Fmore-support-for-healthy-lifestyle-did.html%3B1212%3B1600)
This is a picture to promote a healthy lifestyle. A good start is half the work!!
So far for the reflection on our first lecture. Join me again on this block when I post my impressions of the second course.
We need to blog!
That was the message I got out of the first course.
It's basically about keeping a Journal. And an easy way to do it is by blogging.
So how was this first week?
On the programe table, it said we had our courses in room G0001.
But when I arrived there at six, there were only a handful of students.
When almost a quarter passed, we suddenly heard the lecture was taking place somewhere else, so it was rushing time (again).
What did Micheal Neumann talk about?
Ecological Footprint. We need to change our way of living. There is something coming, will it be a catastrophy? We don't know! But why wait? We can start taking actions now! By reducing your ecological footprint. So we need to measure our ecological footprint. I measured mine and it was a shocking 4.47 earths for my lifestyle! (http://myfootprint.org/en/quiz_results/)
I immediately went to Reduce My Footprint (http://myfootprint.org/en/take_action/reduce_your_footprint/).
I couldn't believe it! But it's true, I contribute to climate change and in an alarming way!!
There I read that you can reduce your ecological footprint by walking more ( to work or the groceries), avoiding the airplane, adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, using green electricity ( like soalar electricity), adopting water-saving habits ( like taking less showers and repairing leaks ), to buy less, recycle and compose.
Lifestyle
What else did I learn? Well that adopting a different lifestyle is easier said than done, because we need to setback and lower our expectations. And if we do business as usual, something is about to happen. People have thought of numerous ways to deal with this climate issue, so far without significant results. What will the future bring?
We need to start thinking and more important: start acting!
So now I'm inspired to reduce my ecological footprint. Michael Neumann has inspired me more by the example he sets (he recycles, he composts, buys second hand ).
But immediately I start thinking : How to compost when I'm renting? How do Iinstall solar panels on a roof that isn't mine? How to go by without meat?
In short, we need to work together in order to switch our attitudes which are contributing to climate change. We need to spread the message. Their are major principles at stake. And we also need to bring the message clear and understandable so that more and more people join our sides.
(https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lifestyle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ANSBU6m-GoElAWn7IGIBA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1034&bih=571#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=gEfLDQV1RYMKvM%253A%3Bvmfu3dmPYlvqbM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-HRp2On93EZs%252FTXkaye6TY9I%252FAAAAAAAAALY%252Fl9jqT3BX4-w%252Fs1600%252FEPHC%252BLifestyle%252Bposter%252B2-sided%2525255B1%2525255D_Page_2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdrlifestylesevidenceforhealth.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F06%252Fmore-support-for-healthy-lifestyle-did.html%3B1212%3B1600)
This is a picture to promote a healthy lifestyle. A good start is half the work!!
So far for the reflection on our first lecture. Join me again on this block when I post my impressions of the second course.
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