Greening the Community College

English 112 Online, Spring Semester 2008

Assignments on the Environment

1. Students read contemporary arguments in their text on “Negotiating the Environment” such as N. Scott Momaday’s “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” Daniel Glick’s “The Big Thaw,” and selections focusing on Habitat Loss—The Reintroduction of Wolves into Yellowstone.

2. Students completed the Think Piece & Research #2 assignment. For Part I, they were asked to respond to one of the four questions taken from Tom Ellis’ “The Gaia Model.” For Part II, they were asked to find an Internet site that pertained to the question they selected.

• What can be done politically to promote conservation of energy?
• What economic incentives are available to promote conservation of energy?
• What technological innovation would result in greater energy efficiency?
• What cultural values and practices would promote conservation of energy?

3. Students completed the Point & Counterpoint #3 assignment, an online discussion activity. For Message 1, they were asked to listen to an online program entitled “Clean Coal Dreams and Climate Realities” from the OnPoint site with host Tom Ashbrook. For Message 2, they were asked to read all responses and then reply to someone who has taken the opposite position by presenting an alternative viewpoint, offering supporting explanation and examples.

Examples of Student Responses

Think Piece & Research #2

Point & Counterpoint #3

Observations of Student Responses

Think Piece & Research #2

• Most students noted the importance of government involvement such as tax incentives to encourage people to “green” their homes and buy hybrid vehicles.  
• Some noted the importance of educating the public about energy conservation; a few students noted the importance of educating people about the energy problem around the world.
• One student said Al Gore’s film caused her to “stop and think.” She “began to take action and start changing some of [her] ways.”
• Most students mentioned the importance of recycling. One noted, “Recycling is probably the most simple thing that [we] can do in [our] homes.”    

Point & Counterpoint #3

• It did not matter if students were for or against the FutureGen Project—they expressed a concern for the environmental impact of sequestering CO2 underground.
• Many thought the coal industry should be partly responsible for funding such a costly project—government alone should not be responsible for funding, especially with the huge national debt, as some noted.
• One student suggested developing the technology for the FutureGen Project for the purposes of selling the technology to other countries so the U.S. would then have the capital to invest in alternative clean sources of energy.
• Most stressed the importance of developing wind and solar sources of energy.