Category Archives: green technologies

Green School

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Another TED talk. This is John Hardy who has created a Green School in Bali with his wife Cynthia three years ago. The schools is really green–in all senses. The school teaches both traditional “school” subjects as well as green subjects (like growing food). The school is committed to keeping about a fourth of it the student population Balinese as well as making sure the teachers are as well; with that said, from the images and clips in the video it seems as if the school is not that ethnically and racially diverse. This short talk is very interesting and I would encourage everyone to check it out. I have also included a link to their website.

John Hardy TED talk

Green School Website

Best,

Alex

Smart-Growth Policy Splits Environmentalists

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In class and in our reading we’ve been learning about the divide between the environmental justice movement and the environmental movement. This article talks about another split in the environmental movement; between those who support investing in a “smart-growth policy” in urban areas and those who don’t. Developing environmentally friendly “green” building projects (parks, housing) seems like a good idea, but the Sierra Club has been experiencing a lot of opposition. Many club members are against the new focus on urban environment and “see efforts to promote density as colluding with developers.”

Do you think this represents an outdated vision of environmentalism? Is incorporating urban development into the environmental movement a good thing? (Do you agree with Arreguin, that the club should “look at the bigger picture of how (we) can be more sustainable”?)

And finally, is it possible to bring these movements together despite the apparent conflicting ideals and differences?