So here's what has happened since April, when I last posted. For starters, I GRADUATED! From the University of Florida with a Bachelor's of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment. What do you do with a BSSBE degree, you may ask? Well I'll let you know when I find out! I have moved back to Punta Gorda, FL where I live with my parents. yippee! every college graduate's dream. However, on a happier note, I just started an internship with Charlotte County's Community Development Department, in the Comprehensive Planning office. I've been there three days now, and I LOVE IT! I have already learned so much, and I am so interested in anything I have been able to get my hands on.
So that's my little catch up, now back to sustainability and learning and all of that...
Today I found an interesting article written by Thomas Friedman (who is my current obsession). I've been reading his book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded", speaking to globalization and pretty much all that is involved.
Anyway, the article I found is called The Earth is Full, which Friedman wrote for The NY Times about Paul Gilding, and his new book, “The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World.”. The article is interesting, and I might see if I can find that book to read, but there are a few memorable quotations from Gilding's book that I will post below. These are the kind of articles and books that make us think about why things are the way they are, and why we haven't made changes to how we do things, both here in America and all over the World.
“If you cut down more trees than you grow, you run out of trees,” writes Gilding. “If you put additional nitrogen into a water system, you change the type and quantity of life that water can support. If you thicken the Earth’s CO2 blanket, the Earth gets warmer. If you do all these and many more things at once, you change the way the whole system of planet Earth behaves, with social, economic, and life support impacts. This is not speculation; this is high school science.”
“We are heading for a crisis-driven choice,” he says. “We either allow collapse to overtake us or develop a new sustainable economic model. We will choose the latter. We may be slow, but we’re not stupid.”
There are a few thought-provoking quotes from the article/Gilding's book, but read the article. There's more and it's awesome. In fact, I think I'll see where I can find that book this weekend.
