Monday, June 28, 2010
After the Crash
After seeing the crash course, I realized that eliminating the amount of electricity my household and I use will allow us to better prepare if a disaster should occur. Cutting back on electricity not only conserves our precious resources. It will allow our household to conserve our money in our depleting economy and may even help us stay out of debt. Furthermore, using less electricity and spending less time watching tv and on the computer will give me more time to step outside and enjoy our beautiful nature. In doing so, I will also be able to get fit and stay fit as an alternative to drug therapies that we as humans often rely on. Therefore, conserving electricity is a starting point that will ultimately help me when other things begin to occur with our changing economy.
Behavior Change
Surely I haven’t been doing much on my part to help our environment survive. One behavior that I am willing to change is using less electricity. Eliminating the amount of light I use when I am home alone will help me begin to make this change. Furthermore, by spending less time watching TV or cruising the pages of Facebook will also help me succeed in this change.
Gaia Experimental Learning Activity
Page 73
*LETS Game – Illustrates how LETS systems work. Students are asked to list what goods and services they are able to offer and then they trade these things between themselves, with no exchange of money or any form of paper currency.
*Hands-on Sessions – With those who have created community banks and money systems to explore the specifics of design, creation and management of the schemes.
LETS stands for local exchange trading system. I work on campus and we already have our own LETS system in place. With the recent need for budget cuts and close observance on how money is spent, UH-Hilo set up its own LETS system that allows offices to post office supplies that they are able to share. In addition offices can also post anything that they may need. For example, my office was in need for scratch paper for we have been using it for a microfilm conversion project. We posted that if any office had spare scratch paper we would greatly appreciate their sharing of them. Within a day, our office was filled with more scratch paper than we needed. I was amazed at how quickly we got responses and even more impressed that the university was able to set a system like this. In doing so, we are able to conserve our money by using the resources that are available to us. Sharing is caring and surely this LETS system is a positive step towards conserving resources.
*LETS Game – Illustrates how LETS systems work. Students are asked to list what goods and services they are able to offer and then they trade these things between themselves, with no exchange of money or any form of paper currency.
*Hands-on Sessions – With those who have created community banks and money systems to explore the specifics of design, creation and management of the schemes.
LETS stands for local exchange trading system. I work on campus and we already have our own LETS system in place. With the recent need for budget cuts and close observance on how money is spent, UH-Hilo set up its own LETS system that allows offices to post office supplies that they are able to share. In addition offices can also post anything that they may need. For example, my office was in need for scratch paper for we have been using it for a microfilm conversion project. We posted that if any office had spare scratch paper we would greatly appreciate their sharing of them. Within a day, our office was filled with more scratch paper than we needed. I was amazed at how quickly we got responses and even more impressed that the university was able to set a system like this. In doing so, we are able to conserve our money by using the resources that are available to us. Sharing is caring and surely this LETS system is a positive step towards conserving resources.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Revised Behavior Change
Often times we all take things for granted. We can take friends for granted, take our freedom for granted and most importantly take the world that we live in for granted. Watching the trailers for The 11th Hour and Awakening the Dreamer made me realize that we all need to change. The clock further emphasized my realization of how fast our population is growing and how fast our resources are dwindling. First and foremost, I need to change. I need to be more aware of my own surroundings and surely make a change in the way that I live in this world. One way to start is to limit the amount of resources that I use such as electricity, gas, and water. Shorter baths, turning off extra, unneeded lights, and driving less would surely be a place to start. By first making changes in my own life and seeing the results that arises, I can be more able to influence others to change as well.
"Culture has been defined in a number of ways, but most simply, as the learned and shared behavior of a community of interacting human beings" (p. 169). This definition of culture caught my eye because surely there are many different interpretations of what culture is and they are all right. A commonality no matter what the definition of culture is is a sharing of behavior and beliefs. More so, culture is about recognizing that everyone has their own beliefs and ways of living. Learning to respect differences amongst others is what ultimately shapes culture.
"Culture has been defined in a number of ways, but most simply, as the learned and shared behavior of a community of interacting human beings" (p. 169). This definition of culture caught my eye because surely there are many different interpretations of what culture is and they are all right. A commonality no matter what the definition of culture is is a sharing of behavior and beliefs. More so, culture is about recognizing that everyone has their own beliefs and ways of living. Learning to respect differences amongst others is what ultimately shapes culture.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Blog Assignment 3: Carson, Becker, and Me
CARSON:
Rachel Carson was surely an inspirational woman of her time. More so, she created a strong foundation for many people to come. Her works of writing and way of communicating her feelings effectively certainly made an impact on society. Her perseverance and braveness allowed her to start up new thoughts amongst people. Therefore, Carson is credited for stimulating the environmental movement.
Carson published numerous articles with ATLANTIC that clearly portrayed her points relating to science. Her writings were recognized for her ways of elegantly communicating her thoughts which won her several awards. Her most famous piece of writing was Silent Spring, which through her research brought to attention how much of people’s money was going towards the pesticides industry. Carson argued for the study and caution on pesticides instead of demanding an out right ban on them. Her words were surely an eye opener and caught the attention of many prominent people including those from the chemistry industry and even the President. However, there of course were many people who challenged and criticized her publication. They accused her for her braveness in being one of the first to recognize the issues in the pesticides industry. Carson’s Silent Spring allowed for the needed attention to pesticides and their harmfulness to the environment to be recognized and dealt with.
If I made a discovery just as Carson did today, using her technique of braveness to convey her findings and true feelings would surely make an impact. Not being afraid to speak the truth and being able to take criticism just as Carson did would be the only way to start change within the world we life in. Being bolt and stepping out of the box will surely catch the attention of not only the public, but important political figures that have the power to execute the change that is much needed.
BECKER:
Fortunately, I personally have had no experience with living in an ecovillage, but learning about its mission is interesting. Dr. Becker’s story of health issues and “calling” to live at Ithaca was surely inspiring and reminds me of a time in my life when I had my own “calling.”
After graduating from Kamehameha Schools – Hawai’i, I decided to attend the University of Washington for college. I was so excited to experience something new and live life on my own for a while. Things started off good. I had my best friends with me and we were having the times of our lives. We were going places, meeting new people, and of course getting a great education.
Despite having a good time, deep down inside I was homesick. I had cousins in the area and a local Hawaiian host family to turn to, but things just didn’t feel right. Hawai’i was my home and where I needed to be. I had just started my second quarter at UW and I began having reoccurring dreams of me finding my way back to Hawai’i. Although I loved it in Washington , I knew that these dreams were telling me that home is where I needed to be.
I returned home for Spring Break, surprising my family members. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like a weight was lifted off of my chest. I felt relieved and at ease. A few days later an unexpected turn of events happened; my grandma passed away. It was a complete surprise to all of us and an even bigger surprise to me. It seemed that my grandma was waiting for me to return home before she left us to be with our Lord above. That was my “calling.” To come home and spend the last few days with the woman that was indeed my second mom. I LOVE YOU MAMA!
Rachel Carson was surely an inspirational woman of her time. More so, she created a strong foundation for many people to come. Her works of writing and way of communicating her feelings effectively certainly made an impact on society. Her perseverance and braveness allowed her to start up new thoughts amongst people. Therefore, Carson is credited for stimulating the environmental movement.
Carson published numerous articles with ATLANTIC that clearly portrayed her points relating to science. Her writings were recognized for her ways of elegantly communicating her thoughts which won her several awards. Her most famous piece of writing was Silent Spring, which through her research brought to attention how much of people’s money was going towards the pesticides industry. Carson argued for the study and caution on pesticides instead of demanding an out right ban on them. Her words were surely an eye opener and caught the attention of many prominent people including those from the chemistry industry and even the President. However, there of course were many people who challenged and criticized her publication. They accused her for her braveness in being one of the first to recognize the issues in the pesticides industry. Carson’s Silent Spring allowed for the needed attention to pesticides and their harmfulness to the environment to be recognized and dealt with.
If I made a discovery just as Carson did today, using her technique of braveness to convey her findings and true feelings would surely make an impact. Not being afraid to speak the truth and being able to take criticism just as Carson did would be the only way to start change within the world we life in. Being bolt and stepping out of the box will surely catch the attention of not only the public, but important political figures that have the power to execute the change that is much needed.
BECKER:
Fortunately, I personally have had no experience with living in an ecovillage, but learning about its mission is interesting. Dr. Becker’s story of health issues and “calling” to live at Ithaca was surely inspiring and reminds me of a time in my life when I had my own “calling.”
After graduating from Kamehameha Schools – Hawai’i, I decided to attend the University of Washington for college. I was so excited to experience something new and live life on my own for a while. Things started off good. I had my best friends with me and we were having the times of our lives. We were going places, meeting new people, and of course getting a great education.
Despite having a good time, deep down inside I was homesick. I had cousins in the area and a local Hawaiian host family to turn to, but things just didn’t feel right. Hawai’i was my home and where I needed to be. I had just started my second quarter at UW and I began having reoccurring dreams of me finding my way back to Hawai’i. Although I loved it in Washington , I knew that these dreams were telling me that home is where I needed to be.
I returned home for Spring Break, surprising my family members. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like a weight was lifted off of my chest. I felt relieved and at ease. A few days later an unexpected turn of events happened; my grandma passed away. It was a complete surprise to all of us and an even bigger surprise to me. It seemed that my grandma was waiting for me to return home before she left us to be with our Lord above. That was my “calling.” To come home and spend the last few days with the woman that was indeed my second mom. I LOVE YOU MAMA!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
About Sheena Tagalicod
Aloha mai, my name is Sheena Tagalicod and I am currently a senior majoring in Sociology. I will be graduating this December and the time will come to really enter the “real world.” It is honestly a bittersweet moment, yet extremely frightening at the same time. Nonetheless, I have every intention of using what I learned to make a difference in my community. I am now continuing my dream. It may not be what I anticipated coming out of high school, but I still have the same end goal in mind – serving the Hawaiian people.
I am well aware that the Hawaiian population is dwindling right before our eyes due to numerous health-related issues. Therefore, without hesitation, I have every intention of remaining in Hawai’i to serve the Hawaiian people. I’m looking into the field of public health with hopes of educating Hawaiians of the various health issues facing our race. More so, I hope to promote an assortment of prevention methods in hopes of preserving the Hawaiian culture.
I was born and raised here in Hawai’i. Therefore, Hawai’i is and will always be my home. My family also calls Hawai’i home and majority of us still reside here. As Native Hawaiians, our ancestors called Hawai’i home as well many years before us. As a result, Hawai’i and our Hawaiian culture is what keeps us together as an ‘ohana. We work together, play together, and even fight together. Nonetheless, Hawai’i is our home.
Currently I am living in Pahoa with my grandpa and mother, in the same home that I have been living in for the 22 years of my life. My great-grandparents settled in the area of Pahoa and Kapoho both in the Puna District. Since then, Pahoa has become the heart of our ‘ohana as we were all raised there. Although many of my family members have moved out to Hilo, off island, and even out of state, Pahoa is still the area that we all come back to.
This course provides a great opportunity for me personally to be more aware of all that’s around me. Often times I find myself so focused on my education and work that I fail to recognize the everyday things that are taking place. I hope that this class will teach me to be open-minded and ultimately more understanding of the many different views that people have on topics such as those dealing with our environment.
As a sociology major, I am interested in many things that impact our society. Some of the courses that most interested me was sociology of disaster where we students how disasters such as a tsunami or hurricane impacted people and their community. Another area of interest is one’s identity and how we often times create our identity through socialization. Typically the topic that most interests me is the Hawaiian culture and perpetuating it. I recognize that the Hawaiian culture and people are dwindling. Therefore, taking a stand and preserving all that we can becomes so important. One of the biggest ways of doing so is educating ourselves and continue what our ancestors have taught us.
In addition, paying attention to our environment is extremely important. Many times I fail to recognize that there are many ways that we are all harming the environment. One way that I can limit my impact on the environment is to take shorter showers. I can admit that I don’t pay attention to how much water I am wasting, but indeed I am. Especially in the morning when I am showering, I tend to stand under the shower in attempt to wake up. If I limit my time showering to only the necessity, I will surely be able to preserve our environment.
I am well aware that the Hawaiian population is dwindling right before our eyes due to numerous health-related issues. Therefore, without hesitation, I have every intention of remaining in Hawai’i to serve the Hawaiian people. I’m looking into the field of public health with hopes of educating Hawaiians of the various health issues facing our race. More so, I hope to promote an assortment of prevention methods in hopes of preserving the Hawaiian culture.
I was born and raised here in Hawai’i. Therefore, Hawai’i is and will always be my home. My family also calls Hawai’i home and majority of us still reside here. As Native Hawaiians, our ancestors called Hawai’i home as well many years before us. As a result, Hawai’i and our Hawaiian culture is what keeps us together as an ‘ohana. We work together, play together, and even fight together. Nonetheless, Hawai’i is our home.
Currently I am living in Pahoa with my grandpa and mother, in the same home that I have been living in for the 22 years of my life. My great-grandparents settled in the area of Pahoa and Kapoho both in the Puna District. Since then, Pahoa has become the heart of our ‘ohana as we were all raised there. Although many of my family members have moved out to Hilo, off island, and even out of state, Pahoa is still the area that we all come back to.
This course provides a great opportunity for me personally to be more aware of all that’s around me. Often times I find myself so focused on my education and work that I fail to recognize the everyday things that are taking place. I hope that this class will teach me to be open-minded and ultimately more understanding of the many different views that people have on topics such as those dealing with our environment.
As a sociology major, I am interested in many things that impact our society. Some of the courses that most interested me was sociology of disaster where we students how disasters such as a tsunami or hurricane impacted people and their community. Another area of interest is one’s identity and how we often times create our identity through socialization. Typically the topic that most interests me is the Hawaiian culture and perpetuating it. I recognize that the Hawaiian culture and people are dwindling. Therefore, taking a stand and preserving all that we can becomes so important. One of the biggest ways of doing so is educating ourselves and continue what our ancestors have taught us.
In addition, paying attention to our environment is extremely important. Many times I fail to recognize that there are many ways that we are all harming the environment. One way that I can limit my impact on the environment is to take shorter showers. I can admit that I don’t pay attention to how much water I am wasting, but indeed I am. Especially in the morning when I am showering, I tend to stand under the shower in attempt to wake up. If I limit my time showering to only the necessity, I will surely be able to preserve our environment.
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