A Break from the ‘Doom and Gloom’ Alter- natives Awaren ess- buildin g Regulat ions Direct action Cultural change Political leadership Techno advances Political/pu blic support Incentives & disincentives If you didn’t get your LCA back today, please re-send. Thanks.

 Brief description of The Optimistic Environmentalist by David Boyd: “The Optimistic Environmentalist chronicles these remarkable success stories. Endangered species — from bald eagles to gray whales — pulled back from the precipice of extinction. Thousands of new parks, protecting billions of hectares of land and water. The salvation of the ozone layer, vital to life on Earth. The exponential growth of renewable energy powered by wind, water, and sun. The race to be the greenest city in the world. Remarkable strides in cleaning up the air we breathe and the water we drink. The banning of dozens of the world’s most toxic chemicals. A circular economy where waste is a thing of the past. Past successes pave the way for even greater achievements in the future.”

 Chapter 23 is on strategies for sustainability with a focus on campuses; please read on your own. There will be exam questions. To see the report on how VIU stacks up against Royal Roads and UNBC, see  Did anyone go to “This Changes Everything”?  After we finish the exercise from Tuesday (see below) I would like to hear what you think are the most effective strategies for promoting social change/ sustainability?  Intergenerational ethics (Nicole, Andrew, Herb, Bethany, Daniel)  Interspecies ethics (Megan, Jacob, Jordan, Kaitlin R., Ashley)  Weighing costs of climate change action vs. doing nothing (Kayla, Linden, Kayla)  Culture vs. sustainability (sealing or shark fin soup vs. protection of animals) [Beverly, Mariah, Michele, Malin]  Industrial efficiency in meat production vs. animal welfare (Kaitlin O., Fraser, Kaelan)

 For institutions (governments and corporations):  Examples: lobbying (protests, letters to politicians and corporations, on-line petitions);  electoral (voting for people who stand – at least in theory – for the right things;  legal work (challenging government decisions in court);  regulations (for instance, to protect the environment);  policy development (showing governments and corporations that there are alternatives that have worked in other jurisdictions and that can be win/win)

 For institutions:  influencing public opinion through opinion-makers (celebrities and religious leaders – Suzuki, Bishop Tutu, Pope Francis, etc.) and the media, both mainstream and alternative (documentaries, web sites, social media, etc.);  direct action – political (such as sit-ins, as at Clayoquot) and lifestyle (modeling a different way of doing things while challenging by-laws and old conventions – frontyard gardening/ urban agriculture, selling medical marijuana).

 For individuals and households: [Examples]  education (dangers of smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, need to adopt more environmentally-friendly lifestyles, getting kids when they’re young; also relates to opinion-makers and media);  citizenship (fostering public discussion where people feel an ownership of the final result, as with charrettes and study circles);  incentives and disincentives (people are responsive to their pocket books – make bad behaviours more expensive and good behaviours less expensive [green taxes, etc.]; the same applies to corporations);  alternatives (creating and demonstrating the existence of – e.g. blue boxes for recycling, enhanced transit, eco-labelling).  It’s also good when you can combine strategies and combine arguments – cycling as environmentally virtuous, but as a boost to health (see TED talks by Jeff Speck and Majora Carter).

 If you do decide to get involved in social change work, find a niche that matches your talents and what you enjoy doing:  Are you a good organizer?  Do you like to do research and come up with alternative policies?  Are you a good educator/ communicator?  Do you like to document things through text, photos, or film?  Do you like to be at the centre of activity and confront authority?  Do you want to reform institutions from within?  Do you like to create and popularize alternatives?