To prepare for the  in-class project tomorrow, please read the following article, “Rebuild by Design” article which describes several coastal renewal projects that are proposed for the New York metropolitan area. We reviewed one of these proposals, “The Big U” earlier in the semester. It is one among many that are planned for areas in and around New York City that are designed to provide protection from another major potentially damaging storm.

There are links in the article that provide more detailed information on each of these projects. You will be asked to choose to focus on one of the following for the in class project:                    1) “The Big U” (Manhattan)

2) “Living Breakwaters” (Staten Island)

3) “Living with the Bay” (Long Island)

4) “Blue Dunes: The Future of Coastal Protection”

5) “Hunts Point Lifelines” (Bronx)

The links to following two articles provide details on these projects. Please either print a copy or (if you have a tablet or laptop, bring this to class so that the readings and the links to additional information that they provide can be accessed.

A set of questions to be answered for this project will be distributed in class.

http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/winners-and-finalists/ 

Building for the Next Big Storm

http://www.ebroadsheet.com/Entries/2015/3/16_Lower_Manhattan_Leaders_Win_Share_of_Flood_Protection_Funds.html

Although there are obvious inherit problems with the formula used to calculate the current GDP system, the fact is it has remained prevalent because it reinforces the status quo since its debut in the early 20th century.  A modification of the GDP formula based on environmental or human capital would result in a drastic global paradigm shift that could essentially invert the existing dynamic.  Although the US and EU currently dominate the global community an economic system encompassing environmental capital would have to acknowledge several third world & developing nations as the actual leaders of the global community due to the abundance of natural resources due.  Africa and regions of the middle east would have to account for its amplitude of raw materials, China and India would have to account for its plenitude of human capital and South America would have to account for its vast untapped forests as environmental capital.  Yes, these natural commodities should definitely be accounted for but I am afraid that this could never occur at the expense of Anglo-Saxon world dominance and Western European imperialism. Alas, there is no way for environmental (and human capital) to be accounted for within the economic system without present economic leaders (the 1% and top multinational corporations) capitalizing on it which translates into the potential for global calamity on an unprecedented scale.

What a remarkable article! The authors gave us some serious food for thought about how evaluation of GDP “Growth” is being wrongly evaluated. GDP tends to focus more on spending than on the overall health of a nation. Trillions of dollars are being generated at the expense of the health of the public! The education system is one example that the authors mentioned. US students are being offered credit cards on top of the student loans and are already in a financial pit before they graduate. Yet education is big business bringing in billions in revenue to many educational institutes and banks. Another misconstrued aspect of US GDP “Growth” is the pharmaceutical industry. Americans are unhealthier than ever with a one out of three obesity rate (1999). Despite being unhealthy, there is big business in medicine. Stress leads to prescription of antidepressants like Prozac. Behavioral issues in children lead to prescription of Ritalin and such others. Not to mention major drugs like tamoxifen, the Cancer drug that bring in serious bucks. Most cancers can be attributed to the pollution within America  within the air and food we consume.There is a pill for every ailment. This pill pushing that leads to big bucks is harmful to public health, but because it generates big money it is deemed as a factor of GDP “Growth”. We spend so much money on food in America, another billion dollar industry. There are more mystery ingredients within the food we consume than ever. This leads to extreme obesity in American. People who want quick fixes contribute to GDP “Growth”  by making cosmetic surgery a billion dollar industry as well. Then the fitness industry also saw a boom in profits as the nation began the health trend. Gyms, personal trainers, fitness videos, and much more have major financial growth as the nation seeks to shape up. Nowadays so much emphasis if placed on appearance many feel the pressure to get fit or go under the knife.

The fact that the authors discussed that impacted me the most was that the United States is no longer a world model and beacon of democracy, but rather a generator of revenue for other economies around the world. Consumer spending is viewed as GDP “Growth, but a country’s value should be a measure of overall health that includes infrastructure, economic growth, and many other factors that are not currently included in evaluating the GDP growth of a country. The USA GDP “Growth” will not be viewed as best in the world if other aspects other than our heavy spending were evaluated.

This was an amazing article. This was written back in 1999 during the Clinton presidency, but accurately describes the state of America now. Poor infrastructure, environmental health, public health, obesity, stress, and debt are what Americans are subjected to, yet major corporation and many times the government and private industry all generate billions and trillions of dollars.

The media should focus on how to get the public aware about pertinent issues such as this rather than Justin Bieber or Kim Kardashian. That is how big business will always control the public because we are consumed with the wrong things like fashion and materialistic wealth rather than the overall health of America.

Rhondalisa Roberts

ECON 2505 Mon 11:30-2:00

Read the following two articles and post a response to one of the two questions that follow. You must complete your post by Saturday, April 11.

Greening-the-Gross-Domestic-Product

(1) In “Voices: Greening the Gross Domestic Product,” Garrett C. Groves and Michael E. Webber point out that policy makers are often pressured to choose policies that prioritize either the economy or the environment. Groves and Webber argue that this is a false choice – that policy makers should prioritize both.  What are the problems with the way in which Gross Domestic Product is currently measured that make this a challenge?

The GDP Myth

(2) In “The GDP Myth: Why Growth isn’t always a good thing,” the authors cite several sources of growth that have had negative impacts on economic growth. Identify one of the reasons they site and explain why this source of growth is actually harmful to the economy. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Optional extra credit assignment (for those who wish): answer the following question in a typed one-page short essay. It should be submitted by April 27.

According to Rowe and Silverstein, the assumption about GDP growth among most economists is that “It makes no difference where the money goes, and why. As long as the people spend more of it, the economy is said to ‘grow.’” Thinking back to earlier class discussions about the environmental consequences of unplanned, unrestricted growth for its own sake, what are some of the problems with this view of growth and why?

Japan’s “Big U” implemented!!!

Very interesting article!!!!

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/35d608bb1ebe4766b33146e39b6044ba/japan-opts-massive-costly-sea-wall-fend-tsunamis

NYC should implement this with new developments

see link below with additional information

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/20/france-decrees-new-rooftops-must-be-covered-in-plants-or-solar-panels?CMP=share_btn_fb

1. Read the following article, “Sustainable Lifestyles and the Quest for Plenitude: Cased Studies on the New Economy, Juliet Schor and Craig J. Thompson, eds. 2014 and come prepared for a discussion of the reading following presentation by Prof. Diana Mincyte (Sociology). Thompson and Press_CSA_ Practicing Plenitude 2014

2. Preliminary annotated bibliography (3 research sources) due on Monday, March 30.

midterm review for Monday March 16

Midterm exam review material

Read Chapter II: Understanding the current food system in the context of climate change – major components and drivers.

Achieving food security climate_food_commission-final-mar2012

A Farm Grows in Brooklyn—on the Roof, National Geographic,

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140429-farming-rooftop-gardening-brooklyn-grange-vegetables-science-food/

        Our class braved the cold to learn and see first  hand the pollution in the Gowanus Canal. I made a PowerPoint that would not upload but i hope to show you in class!