Discussion 1

 

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review Chapter 5 in the course textbook.

Imagine that you are a resident of Ashfordton, a community whose characteristics are described below. You have come together with your neighbors for a special meeting to devise a plan for managing its water resources more sustainably by 2050. Water resource issues the community faces include insuring a safe and sustainable drinking water supply for all, handling its wastewater in a manner that has minimal environmental impact, and managing its stormwater runoff in a way that minimizes the risks of erosion and flooding.

Fortunately, you have all attended the meeting with the knowledge that you have gained from your readings in this course. Now it is time to put your thinking cap on and get to work! Your ideas should each consist of one of the following elements, depending upon what you think is Ashfordton’s area of greatest need:

• Sustainable drinking water access measures (e.g., developing a program for rural residents to begin collecting and treating their rainwater for drinking use).
• Sustainable wastewater management measures (e.g., collecting greywater from area residences for use irrigating a local golf course).
• Storm water management measures (e.g., requiring that permeable pavement be used for all future development projects in the community).

This week’s discussion will take place in an online app called Tricider. There, you will be able to post your ideas for plan components and also share pros and cons of different proposals during the week. Finally, you will be able to vote on the three components that you think the plan should include. For directions on how to use the Tricider app, please review the Tricider Help Guide. In Tricider. You will be expected to do the following:

• Post at least two separate and entirely original ideas. Do not duplicate ideas already posted by your peers.
  • Include your full name for each one.
• Post at least six different pros and six different cons for your classmates’ proposed ideas (12 in all).
• Vote on what you feel are the top three ideas in the list.
  • Do not vote before Friday, so that you can vote from the full collection of student ideas.

You must complete the three tasks above to receive full credit for this discussion.

Please note: You are welcome to post questions and comments to this board for your instructor; however, this discussion board does not have any posting requirements of its own, and no additional credit will be given for posts made here.

                                           Discussion 2

 

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapters 3 and 4 in your course textbook.

Now that you have cast your votes for the Ashfordton Food Resilience Plan, it is time to explain your choices to the class. Please make a post of at least 150 words in which you

• Identify (briefly) the plan elements on which you voted.
• Explain why you selected each one.

Each of the elements with an explanation is worth .5 point for a total of 1.5 points.

Note: You will not be able to view others’ posts until you have made your own. At the end of the week, the instructor will post the winning Ashfordton Food Resilience Plan, which will include the top three ideas selected by the class. In cases where two action items are judged by the instructor to be nearly identical, the instructor reserves the right to combine the ideas into a single one (and add votes together) in order to determine the winning ideas. This plan will be posted in the Announcements area of the classroom.

                                               Journal

 

Throughout this course, you are keeping a journal about your experience in the class. The purpose of this activity is to enable you to reflect on your learning: what new things you have discovered, what surprises you have encountered, what topics or ideas you have found particularly challenging, and how the course is going for you. You should also be using this journal as a space for a progress report on your Environmental Footprint Reduction Project efforts. Your entries will be evaluated in terms of how well they met the topic and length requirements, and your writing clarity. Your entries should be a minimum of one typed page each (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font) and will be submitted through Waypoint.

Complete the following:

• In the first paragraph or two of your journal entry this week, provide a status report on your Ecological Footprint Reduction Project. Have you encountered success with implementing your intended changes? What challenges have you encountered? What have you learned so far from this activity?
•  In another one or two paragraphs, share your thoughts about the third week of class. What did you learn? What experiences stand out for you? What tasks or content did you find difficult or frustrating? What activities did you find surprising or exciting? Looking ahead, what are your intrigued or concerned by in the fourth week of the course?