April 4th: Welcome Back + Environmental Ethics

Aerial view of oil wells in the Bakken, North Dakota

Natural Gas flares at night from U.S. shale oil boom. Some scientists claim we burn enough gas to fuel all the homes in Chicago and Washington combined. Natural gas emits 50 to 60 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) when combusted in a new, efficient natural gas power plant compared with emissions from a typical new coal plant. However, when not combusted, or burned, natural gas emits methane, which is a far more toxic greenhouse gas than CO2. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d2d2e83c-6721-11e2-a805-00144feab49a.html#axzz4591qoAS0

Starter: Review!
It has been over two weeks!  Let's try to collectively recall everything we can about the catalysts for the environmental ethics movement (what happened in the 1960's that inspired an environmental ethics movement and ultimately passage of the 1970 Clean Air Act?) and the film with Leonardo DiCaprio, Before the Flood.  First, individually jot down everything you can remember!

Class Biz

• Let's review the class calendar for April-- see the whiteboard in my classroom
• PHILOSOPHY PROJECTS: If you didn't turn in a draft of the philosophy project, you won't receive written feedback from me before the final draft is due for all-school exhibition, April 27th.  You can conference with me that week of the exhibition in class, though! And as always, schedule a time to meet with me to go over questions you may have in person.  You should be refining your work outside of class, but you will also have the week of exhibition (last week of April) to make more refinements, conference with me, and rehearse for all-school exhibition on April 27th. 
• Honors Lit Analysis essay is due this Friday, end of day, emailed to me (exceptions: Dunn and Leffler)
• Honors: Begin reading Half the Sky and write a seminar prep just like you did for Into the Wild.  Our seminar will be on Friday, April 28th. 
• Homework for the week (let's look at the homework calendar on my DP)
• Guest speakers for our Environmental Ethics and Energy (E-cubed) project!  Who are they? When are they coming?

Agenda
1. Share starter! Get notes on the board.  Capture them for yourself (why? Helps you retain information. Will be useful for the final exam)

2.  Finish Before the Flood (20 minutes)

3. Envt Ethics lecture ​continued (note-taking packets!?  ignore the last few pages on Political Party Platform research and Years Living Dangerously notes-- we don't have time for those assignments)

4. Begin reading Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic".  DUE THURSDAY,  beginning of class!

Resources to build on "Bakken Business" (recommended, not required)
 1. Short Film about the Bakken: "White Earth"Goal: To see what life is like for folks in the trenches of oil and gas production (not just company CEO's or consumers benefiting from these energy sources)

• Do you think that jobs for folks like those featured in this short film outweigh environmental concerns and/or concerns for the future welfare of our planet and future generations of people?

2. Great website with videos outlining pros/cons of various energy production schemes

• 2 minute video on benefits of fracking
• 2 minute video on risks of fracking