Thursday, October 25, 2007

Week of 10/28- 11/2- Assignment

Hi Folks

Sorry about the long delay in getting this to you. Please notify me if this delays your getting assignment in on time. The blog assignment is due "late" Sunday 10/28, Ideally, get it in earlier and feed off each other's ideas an experiences.

GREEN BUILDING AND NEIGHBORHOODS---OR---DEEPEN/INTEGRATE EARLIER THREADS -SYSTEMS, JUSTICE, OR GREENINGPlus Behavior Change /Journal & Individual Presentations (see below)

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Green Buildings And Neighborhoods
1) READ a) Beatley, Building Ecologically 290-324 (at least 30 pages) AND b) Apollo Alliance report, New Energy for Cities, section on ***High Performance Buildings****, pp 13-27, if you haven't already done so AND/OR
c) Roseland handout, from Toward Sustainable Communities, Chapter 11, Housing and Community Development, pp.154-167, contains excellent resources on affordable housing, health, and eco-justice. Can focus just on housing, if you like.

2) REFLECT & WRITE a short blog entry on your observations on how these readings could apply to changes you could make in Ithaca or your home place (not your individual house) if you were a planner, public official, citizen activist, etc.***OR***Short, written Case Study: Follow up on one strategy or place you got excited about and turn your learning into a one-page blog entry. (Extra credit for linking to course themes of integrated systems, justice, city as nature, citizen empowerment, transit oriented development, etc.)

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(Or in addition to) instead of focusing on Housing/Neighborhoods:You can: Deepen/Integrate Earlier Threads -Systems, Justice, Or Greening1) READ OR RE-READ your choice of sections of either Hallsmith (Systems), Agyeman on (Justice/Sustainability), OR Edens Lost & Found and/or Roseland handout on Greening (Urban Ecology), (30-40 pages will do)2) REFLECT/WRITE on their applicability to other areas we have covered, new ways you are understanding and valuing this area, or a project or tool from them that you'd like to do a short Case Study of.

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3) Continue with Behavior Change and Journal . Even if I have the physical book at my desk, please write on same size page, & paste in later.
Note: If you're feeling uninspired or underworked in your "social sustainability" efforts, how about organizing a group local foods dinner/celebration (lots of creative participatory planning involved here)? (I've got great seasonal cookbook resources). Or even a joint meal with our IC sister class (11 people). Could be sooner (more fresh local foods, less end-term stress) or later (nice finale, more need for celebration, more time and energy scarcity). Also note our "final exam" will be a closing celebration, during our final exam time on final week, including food & drink I provide and an evaluation process.

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CASE PRESENTATIONS: (max 6-7 min, 3-4 min for Q&A & feedback)Maya, Rachel, Libby (Caitlin, - please contact Ron & I to reschedule, as you were out)

NATURE IN THE CITY (ideally, this would include taking at least an hour to DIRECTLY OBSERVE your focus area for Nature in the City) - Toni, Deane

DISCUSSION FACILITATION - Melanie, Salima (Deane, missed your turn, please check in with me)