https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257 en-us 2019-02-05 19:37:46 UTC 2019-02-07 18:24:32 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Clouds.png anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327989324 Theis Reading: "Thus there are three dimensions that sustainability seeks to integrate: economic, environmental, and social (including sociopolitical)." 
 -Possible question does sociopolitical relate to the idea of justice?
Theis reading another definition of sustainable development/sustainability: "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Capra: Sustainability arises when we recognize all systems as “fundamentally interconnected and interdependent.” ]]> 2019-02-05 19:38:33 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327989324 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327990635 To what extent does the USC: 2020 Plan promote meaningful change to support local and global sustainability?]]> 2019-02-05 19:40:51 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327990635 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327993370 Newport's article connects to the ideas of Theis and how there are three distinct segments to sustainability. Quote: "Campus sustainability has long been premised on the 'three legs of the stool': environmental protection, fiscal equity, and social justice."]]> 2019-02-05 19:45:49 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327993370 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327995063 In the introduction, the plan quotes the Brundtland report and mentions how sustainability "considers a triple bottom line of ecology, economy, and equity, all of which are necessary
for a thriving society," but only focuses on biodiversity and environmental issues in the following paragraphs.

]]> 2019-02-05 19:49:03 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327995063 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327998642 USC's seven areas of focus: education and research, community engagement, energy conservation and greenhouse gas mitigation, sustainable transportation, sustainable procurement,
waste diversion, and water conservation. These seven goals serve to reiterate what Newport was saying about how little justice is talked about: "Three hundred eighty pages, over 1,250 stories and initiatives from nearly 600 institutions, 24 chapters, and the word 'justice' appears 13 times."]]> 2019-02-05 19:55:33 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/327998642 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328018461 Overarching thesis of the plan is defined and is given in the bottom of the introduction: "this plan guides USC to a university-wide foundation of environmentally conscious development and is a significant step forward on the journey towards a more sustainable future. The opportunities and successes that stem from this plan will benefit future, long-term sustainability plans. ]]> 2019-02-05 20:39:17 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328018461 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328019610 Newport talks about how "The Princeton Review and others now routinely assess greenness in their annual campus ratings"
With a great focus on rising in the college ranks, placing environmental issues at the forefront of sustainability will help USC look better in the eyes of the prominent college ranking systems. ]]> 2019-02-05 20:42:37 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328019610 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328022918 Newport indicated that "higher education uses sustainability as an incentive for conservation efforts that save money but stop short of fully integrating the movements strategic vision or social-justice needs" 
Theis weak sustainability definition: weak sustainability is "where tradeoffs are unrestricted or have few limits"
Analysis: USC has clearly valued the glamour that environmental change and becoming more green entails over trying to develop the other aspects of sustainability such as fiscal equity and especially social justice.]]> 2019-02-05 20:50:54 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328022918 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328024384 Newport concludes his article with a quote from Adam Werbach: "Focusing solely on saving the environment did not suffice—did not save lives, livelihoods, or neighborhoods.... We needed to fight for a larger kind of sustainability: one that took into account our social economic, and cultural sustainability as well as ecological surroundings."]]> 2019-02-05 20:55:29 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328024384 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328025570 Newport indicated that "Many campuses have established chief information officers, but chief sustainability officers are rare. Higher education has generally eschewed such a job title in favor of expanded roles for the campus business officer." Currently, USC does not have a position for a Chief Sustainability Officer.

]]> 2019-02-05 20:59:38 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328025570 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328027304 USC is one of the most expensive colleges in the country, charging $74,825 a year. If students are forced to pay this astronomically high price, then many will continue to graduate with large amounts of debt. Living with large amounts of debt will then compromise someone's ability to meet their present needs, contradicting the underlying concept of sustainability.
Quote from Kersten: "Today, colleges and universities are charging students huge, unsustainable sums — often upward of $50,000 a year — for the privilege of (among other things) living out an elite, politically correct fad. Many emerge with a crushing load of debt."

]]> 2019-02-05 21:05:07 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328027304 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328031977 Current problem in LA: 40% of the energy comes from coal fired plants, which vastly harm the environment with their carbon emissions
http://www.clui.org/content/sources-power-0
USC does have some effective solutions to combat this as seen with the thermal energy storage system under Cromwell Field; they have lots of goals but no clear plan to implement them.
Current problem: Issue of water conservation in California 
Solution: USC has implemented a drip irrigation system, but they also have many goals that have no clear path for implementation.
Current Problem: LA has some of the worst air pollution in the country largely due to the number of cars that travel in the city.
Solution: USC is decreasing single occupancy vehicles and relying on more electric cars to maneuver around campus.]]> 2019-02-05 21:20:43 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328031977 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328038366 Ethos: Multiple typos in the document undermine the credibility of the author and institution.
Pathos: Seems that the text isn't even written for the people who need it most: the students. USC could be only doing this to convince alumni to donate more and look good for the Princeton Review.
Logos: USC wants to say that they care about sustainability, but they mention a lot of government policies that force them to change their actions anyways. Along with this, they mention how they compare themselves to other peer institution and their implicit goal might be to look good in front of other colleges.
Example of government intervention in footnote: In April 2015, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-29-15, requiring campuses to reduce water consumption by 25%.
Example of peer institutions in footnotes: Many of USC’s peer institutions (UC System, Stanford, University of Michigan) have implemented purchasing guidelines of 20-40% of food from sustainable sources. This could be a possible appeal to donors as to why USC is flourishing right now when compared to other top tier institutions.]]> 2019-02-05 21:43:12 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328038366 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328072456 The USC 2020 plan does not recognize the interconnectedness and “intrinsic value of all living beings” because they disregard a large part of the human aspects that are incorporated in sustainability, such as fiscal equity and social justice.]]> 2019-02-06 00:44:19 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328072456 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328073391 GOAL 1: ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY LITERATE STUDENTS AND FACULTY
Their first goal sounds good in practice but there is no tangible target set, meaning that it will be possible to really gauge the success of whether or not students and faculty have become more literate on sustainability.
GOAL 1: INCREASE AWARENESS OF EXISTING CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES AND SET TARGETS TO INCREASE ACTIVITY
Testing awareness just is not feasible for a campus that encompasses over 45,000 students. The phrase "increase activity really entails nothing."
GOAL 2: INCREASE AWARENESS OF CURRENT WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES 
Same problems as the goal of increasing awareness of existing campus sustainability practices.]]> 2019-02-06 00:49:44 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328073391 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328076417 Kersten talks about how higher education is one of the least sustainable institutions because they pour money to achieve the appearance of sustainability, but, in reality, they are just wasting billions of dollars a year. This could be applicable to USC since they are not addressing all of the fundamental problems relating to sustainability and many of their goals seem ineffective and frivolous. 
Quote: "Colleges and universities are caught in a death spiral of rising costs and declining benefits. Nevertheless, they obsess about recyclable napkins, solar panels and fossil-fuel divestment, and pour $3.2 billion annually — frequently without assessing effectiveness — into achieving their dreams of sustainability, according to the NAS."

]]> 2019-02-06 01:05:24 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328076417 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328082956 The clearest connection to global sustainability was  made when USC mentioned in their plan how a "1% increase in recycling rates could provide annual net savings equivalent to 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide." Their goal of achieving a 75% waste diversion rate could help set an example for other institutions around the world to adapt their practices if they are actually successful.]]> 2019-02-06 01:41:58 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328082956 anshulsa https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328086956 Ethos: Lots of quotes come from respectable and well-known people (President of USC, governor of CA) to establish credibility
 and the plan incorporates a wide variety of facts (e.g. general knowledge about pollution in LA) and statistics in footnotes and in the plan
Pathos: Use of lots of phots to show the tangible aspects of sustainability. The use of the first person plural is used throughout the paper to actively engage the reader in their plan
Logos: Each goal is expanded to add some sort of clarity to what they are trying to achieve. Use of statistics help ground their claims in fact. ]]> 2019-02-06 02:05:29 UTC https://padlet.com/anshulsa/vnhc7xx3e257/wish/328086956