Final Report
Throughout this semester we focused on the eight centers of care and how it has related to different aspects of sustainability. The eight centers of care are Care for self, for intimate others, the local community, other cultures, other species, natural environment, the human made world and other ideas. In this report I will discuss with my fellow first year education students how the centers of care were touched on throughout this semester.
One way that we can care for ourselves is by eating foods that are not genetically modified. Genetically modified foods have many other substances, such as hormones and pesticides added. This makes it unhealthier to consume than organic food. By knowing what is or is not organic we can improve our health and therefore care for ourselves.
We all have important people in our lives whether it’s our family, friends or a partner. In my first assignment I looked at ways that I could waste less water in my household, not only did this care for the environment but this also reduced my family’s water bill so we could afford more. By using an ecological footprint calculator you become aware of your impact towards the environment and since many of these calculators allow you to see what in particular is causing the most impact, we are able to make a change and this often leads to a decrease in energy and water bills which cares for intimate others as we can spend the money elsewhere.
There are a large multitude of ways that we can care for our local community. In week 12 we had a look at the different challenges that we currently face as well as our future problems. It is important that these issues are discussed and taught in schools so that we may equip future generations to better deal with these environmental challenges. We should teach children of the current societal values so then they themselves can make a decision and if they find faults or something they don’t agree with they can “consider additional and alternative values, ones which might help contribute to a more sustainable future” (Values Reflection and the Earth Charter, 2009) Reading material like the Earth Charter (2000) provides solutions to some of our most pressing environmental issues. If teachers utilised this or included sustainability in their curriculum they could help the present and future community by providing ways to improve our current or future sustainability. With the ever changing technology, more electronic devices are being thrown out than ever before. The federal government have recycling programs in place that are free for the public to use (Solving the Problem of E-Waste, 2013) so this will encourage people to care for the environment and the government shows care for the community.
There are some people out there who think that their own culture is the most important however we are all equals and the sustainability of their culture is just as important as our own. While everyone is aware of the Galileo theory of the tides, it has emerged that Aboriginal people had been well aware of the moons impact on the tides before then (Aboriginal People – How to Misunderstand their Science, 2014). People are starting to show more care for other cultures as well as care for other beliefs and ideas, they are starting to realise so many more things about Aboriginal culture and history. If we don’t care for cultures or put someone down because of them, it can cause resentment and if this happens many cultures may be forgotten over time. By acknowledging and giving credit to all discoveries no matter who they come from, we are able to sustain and care for other cultures and not just our own.
People often selfishly forget that what we do as humans has an impact on other species too and it is unfair that animals often have to deal with it more than we do who have caused the problem. Due to an increase in housing and other human activity such as poaching, a lot of nature is being demolished and deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate. Due to this, animals are being affected. Many of their habitats are being destroyed as is their food source, without these two necessities animals are dying and more species are on the endangered list than ever before. Our poor animals now have to compete for food more often and are facing a lack of food species. Some ways to fix this is to expand the national reserve system, as well as improving “the management of aquatic habitats including by reducing key threats to aquatic biodiversity" (Actions Priority for action 2: Building ecosystem resilience in a changing climate, 2010) Biodiversity is crucial as natural ecosystems can help us get rid of waste, control pests, erosion and floods. Having a biologically diverse environment helps sustain our agriculture, fishing, forest and tourism industries. The scientific process of photosynthesis is important as it is the process of turning carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates. Putting a stop to deforestation and cutting down plants is important as they play a vital role in sustaining the lives of all species.
A major part of our unit looked at the environmental centre of care. By caring for the environment we are creating a more sustainable future. According to Sustainability Illustrated (2013) There are a few key points to sustainability: All the matter that was on the earth is still there as everything can lose structure over time and scatter, Photosynthesis “uses energy from the sun to reorganise matter”, “natural cycles are well balanced”, “Sustainability is the capacity of our human society to continue indefinitely within the natural cycles” if we do not understand sustainability then we cannot care for the environment. We do however show some care towards the environment, in the Yarra Ranges catchment, 90% of the water does not need to be treated as its condition is pristine. One of the biggest problems facing the environment is global warming, this is due to such a high quantity of carbon dioxide made by society that the earth’s natural cycle cannot keep up with it, thus creating global warming. Electricity production is a major cause of global warming so by switching to renewable energy such as wind energy which produces “0.02 to 0.04 pounds of CO2E/kWh” opposed to non-renewable energy which produces “0.6 and 2 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour” (Benefits of Renewable Energy Use) we can better care for our environment.
We need to also care for the human made world. As mentioned earlier E-waste is becoming an increasing problem in our society. We created this waste so it is our duty to dispose of it properly. The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (2015) highlights how by simply throwing out our old electronics, we are severely harming the environment as many materials in the devices can be hazardous to the environment. By simply recycling our e-waste properly we can care for the human-made world
When studying cosmology, it is important to look at other cultures and what they believed in besides the most common beliefs of today. Many of these ideas are influenced off each other. If we were to not care for these beliefs and disregard them, they may be unsustainable. Different views and ideas are imperative we need to “move beyond isolated economic, political and technological responses, to consideration of the more fundamental ethical, psychological and spiritual responses needed to cope with emerging ecological crises” (Values Reflection and the Earth Charter, 2009) Throughout this unit we we’re asked what we thought of different ideas and I thought that this really showed care for my ideas and beliefs, it made me feel valued.
It is important to look at all of the eight centres of care when learning about sustainability as they all intertwine with one another and are all components in creating a more sustainable future.
