Rachel Carson

I'd like to hear your initial reactions to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.  You may choose to respond with any thoughts you had about your parents'/grandparents' lives during the time the documentary covers (say, immediately post WWII to 1963).  You may also post on any specific things from the documentary that provoked a response in you.  Let's stay focused on Carson/her book for now.

PS: If you're curious about children's books on Rachel Carson, try this Amazon.com link; it goes to one specific book, but then also shows other related books.

Climate Engineering?

I was browsing through the Reader's Digest at work today and came across an article that might interest some of you. It is very short, definitely Reader's Digest style, but it is very applicable to some of our discussions. Personally, I think the idea of re-engineering our climate is almost as scary as global climate change itself! This article (which I linked the title to) does pose some interesting questions though, especially the section about "unilateral action." Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think!

Cows Can Curb Global Warming

I was in a waiting room earlier today and I looked over and saw an article that someone was reading in Time. I noticed that the title had something to do with cows and global warming, so when I got back to the dorms I looked it up and really enjoyed what I read. It doesn't pertain to what we're doing so much at the university (unless the university's considering raising cattle in the near future), but the science is definitely still relevant. Check it out if you get a chance!

Reading Kolbert . . . .

Field Notes' fourth chapter, "The Butterfly and the Toad," ends Kolbert's first section, "Nature."  Please feel free to post questions or comments on that chapter.

I've been continuing to think about media coverage of global climate change.  If you click on the title to this post, it will take you to an article "Environmental Journalism in the Greenhouse Era: Looking for Climate News beyond Corporate Media."  Check it out.  It provides some vital information as we consider how media in our country cover this urgent topic--and as we decide where to turn for factual reporting by experts.

Critique the news story!

Hey all, if you missed the article on the 6:00 news on ABC, channel 18, follow the link (click on the title to this blog post above) to the WQOW website, the local ABC affiliate, and you can either read the story or view it online.

This would a great way to start off your (yes, all the students') comments on the blog, critiquing my first on-air television interview! Please let me know what you liked and didn't like, as it relates to what we're talking about right now! (I have a few ideas of my own too, so I won't mind...)

And while you're there, check out another short bit on a new student movement on campus (part of the Conservationists club) to build a petition campaign to eliminate coal as a fuel in the campus steam plant. This is a critical issue for the carbon footprint, and so congratulations to them and their efforts. This issue is so big and will be difficult to accomplish, despite a lot of good progress from the folks at Facilities already. So having everybody (students, staff, administration, community) on board is good, especially if we can work together toward this long-term goal that I think we can all agree would be a huge step forward for UWEC.

P.S. Here's the link to the other story...


Now, in REAL climate news, I understand that the groundhog didn't see his shadow today - what's that mean for climate policy?!?

News 18 tonight!

It looks like I'll be on the news this evening, answering questions about my response to a press release from WI Sen. Grothman (R). I just did a (surprise - hadn't even shaved!) on-camera interview with Kevin Keen from News 18, talking about carbon footprints, climate vs. weather, coal on campus and probably some other topics I can't even recall right now. Since these are the key ideas we'll be discussing in our class over the next semester, the timing was great!

(It's one thing to get up in front of a class several meters away - quite another to have a camera in your face!)

So watch for me - let me know how I did... See you on Friday!