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OK, so we are celebrating the "year of the environment" at Furman University. I’m trying to help coordinate the event and create a promotional scheme to raise awareness about environmental issues. A friend of mine told me about a small sign next to a marina that sums up what "the year of the environment" at Furman is all about. The sign said, "Mind your wake." If you’re a boater, you know that your wake affects those other boats on the water, those on docks, and the shoreline itself.

Quite simply, we at Furman live the big life. Our economic power alone gives us two to twenty times more influence on the health of the Earth than 90% of the population. Can I assume that raising your awareness will produce any measurable behavior change that will improve the environment?

I can hope that as your awareness increases, you might decide to take more responsibility for your "environmental footprint." I can hope that as you learn some strategies for reducing the wake you leave while living the big life that the value of your Furman experience will have increased profoundly. That is, when you take some action in the coming months to "mind your wake," we can consider this year of the environment successful. I can ask no more from you than to make an effort to gain greater awareness about your environmental footprint, accept responsibility for it, and reduce your negative impact upon the Earth by taking action in specific and measurable ways.

Just what can you do? Please take time to continue to visit the year of the environment website. There will be many environmental opportunities and ideas here. And, please don’t leave the light on for me.
Posted on Friday, September 22, 2006 at 10:37AM by Registered CommenterFurman University | Comments5 Comments

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December 27, 2006 | Unregistered Commenterashraf
'Global Warming' like evolution are simply theories; somebodies opinion with distorted facts and half truths. Let's stop treating them as fact. The environment issue is a socialist attack on capitalism & democracy. Why won't Al Gore agree to contractually change his lifestyle to adhere to his principles and beliefs that he recommends to the rest of society? Hypocrisy!
May 11, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterKJV
The proper term is Climate Change as the climate is a complex system and is not warming at every single location on the planet. In science, theory is not thrown around like is it in every day language. It is "a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena." In science, a theory is what you base an entire discipline. Atom Theory-Chemistry; Plate Tectonics- Geology; Evolution- Biology. Abrupt climate change is not at theory but our best description to what is happening. I am willing to send out resources on evolution as foundation of biology, but with the tone you write, I doubt you would actually take the time to consider the strong set of evidence that has repeatedly tested evolution.
May 14, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterAnnette
Now about Climate Change:
If you are going to discount the scientific consensus on climate change, then at least give reasons (not just your own opinions) why you a) don't think the climate is changing or b) don't think humans have anything to do with it.
Are you opposed to the concept of Climate change because Al Gore is forever associated with it? You may disagree with Mr. Gore, but I do not think he can be fairly label a hypocrite (I assume you are talking about his carbon footprint) as it is to my understanding that he, himself, is carbon neutral.
Why do you think the statement "humans have forced climate change to some degree" is a socialist attack on capitalism and democracy? the scientific consensus (please see for a concise summary of consensus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change).

As far as factual basis to this assertion- It is a fact that the average surface temperature has risen 0.6 oC in the 20th century. Here are various graphs of temperature records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature_record). It is a fact that combustion of fossil fuels produces CO2. Through isotope studies we are able to attribute CO2 from combustion is in the atmosphere and figure out that we are adding mega tons (1,000,000 tons) of extra CO2 to the atmosphere each year. The CO2 concentration has gone from 280 ppm to about 379 ppm since the industrial revolution.

We know CO2 is one of many Greenhouse gases that retain electromagnetic radiation in the form of heat. We can measure the degree or radiative force that CO2 contributes to warming the earth (~3.5 watts/m2). It is much more complicated and a lot to be figured out (and I am will to discuss details), even with this complexities scientists are 90% certain that man has influenced climate.
See the Policy IPCC Summary especially figure SPM-4 where it compares natural vs anthropogenic causes. (http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf).

Other Resources:
http://epa.gov/climatechange/
http://www.realclimate.org/
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=12455
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/crosscutting/climate.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/
http://www.who.int/globalchange/climate/en/

May 14, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterAnnette
One afternoon, I was in the backyard hanging the laundry when an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home. But when I walked into the house, he followed me, sauntered down the hall and fell asleep in a corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back. He resumed his position in the hallway and slept for an hour.
This continued for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap. "
The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with ten children - he's trying to catch up on his sleep."

I cried from laughter
Sorry, if not left a message on Rules.
May 2, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterMelissik

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