Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson

On November 10, 2010, I attended the panel series with Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson entitled "Sustain.ability: Thriving on a Small Planet." In the discussion, Berry and Jackson talked a lot about things that are going wrong in the environment and how people in the human race need to act now to help save our planet. Berry talked a lot about the ignorance of many people who believe that there are no real problem that exist as far as the environment is concerned. When attending this event, I immediately thought of the film the 11th Hour.

Like the 11th Hour film, the topic was mainly focused on how the health of the planet is beginning to diminish and how the actions being taken are not dire enough. When reading an article about Berry it said, "As the American environmental movement has metamorphized into the global drive to achieve sustainability, he has been a steady voice of reason and compassion." Berry and Jackson both made excellent points about their takes on what the environment should mean to the entire population. They discussed how there are so many different ways that the smallest changes each person made could make a huge difference. This was practically identical to what the creators of the 11th Hour film were saying. They all wanted different ways for our society to be able to help and respect the environment.

I think what I liked best about the discussion was that it was real people who had spent their entire lives doing good by the environment. Although the 11th Hour film was a huge impact, hearing people discuss the issue with YOU and others like you has a whole other meaning behind it. It wasn't just about being preached out or hearing a repetitive speech about how to protect the plant. Instead it was something that was able to reach audience members on a much more personal level.

Lieber Aims for the New Generations

For two classes in the month of December, our class of W350 was invited to visit the Lily Library. Our visit was geared towards researching some of the documents about Conservationist Richard Lieber. Some of the documents involved were speeches, journal entries, etc. This was to help us understand the purpose of our Public Awareness Projects. It was to help us find ideas and interests for our “Real” forms.

The piece of documentation that stood out the most to me was a speech that Lieber had given at Purdue about conserving our national parks. The reason I liked this speech was because it wasn’t him just speaking to a bunch of politicians or officials, but he was aiming the college students. I thought it was very appropriate. I had planned for my “Real” form to also address college students. So, the impact of Lieber’s speech had a lot on how I thought about my own project. It also reminded me a lot of the 11th Hour film we watched. I was able to be engaged about the issues of the environment with the film as I was with the speech. The similarities between the speech and the film would have to be the urgency to maintain the life that we have sustained on this planet for years and to not take it for granted. Like the film, Lieber dealt with critics who believed that environmental issues were a complete myth. He was somehow able to push past those critics and make a difference. Today, to help our planet, we should do the same.

I think it is important to express these issues more to college students or even high school students. When one comes to think about it, students ranging from the ages of 16-25 have a great impact on ongoing, current issues. It is probably easier to spark interest in younger minds because they are always evolving. I think that is what Lieber was aiming for when he chose to speak at Purdue. He talked about his journey with helping to conserve the national parks, and the gratification he feels with helping the planet. I think he wanted to speak to the hearts of students who felt the same way in hopes to keep the issue alive.

The 11th Hour Screening

On October 18, 2010, our class from W350 Sustainable Public Discourse attended the screening of the film The 11th Hour. We were asked to view the film and join in discussion with a panel of experts afterwards. The film, which was narrated by Leonardo Dicaprio, was about the impact our society has had on the current issues with the environment. The film tells its audience how many critics believe that global warming and other environmental issues do not exist, but the professors and scientists in the film explain otherwise. They provided information with how our ever-changing world is in danger due to many people not fully understanding or believing that the planet is in danger.

In the film, many of the people involved tried to explain the issue involved. Scientists, activists, and other professionals try to help the audience by introducing alternatives to using so much our planet’s energy. The explain the importance of recycling, investing in different kinds of energy conscious tools, and most importantly becoming aware that the issue is an ongoing problem that isn’t going to magically go away without the help of the human race. The try to help sway the audience by explaining that if the population doesn’t begin to take action soon, in the future there may be no more human race to speak of.

When viewing this film, I felt very scared in a way. It is a problem that I am completely aware of. But, had no real idea it was as serious as the film made it out to be. I do my best to make sure I do my part in taking care of the planet by recycling or walking most places. But when watching this movie, I felt like no matter what I try to do, there is always going to be a step more I need to take.