Brief History of Sustainability :: Environment Economy Sustainable Development

A Brief History of "Sustainability" â€Å"[M]odern industries still operate according to paradigms that developed when humans had a very different sense of the world† (McDonough and Braungart 26)—when resources were thought to be infinite. In 1972 the UN convened the Conference on the Human Environment where â€Å"the global community acknowledged that more exploration was needed of the inter-relationships between the environment and socio-economic issues of poverty and underdevelopment. Thus the concept of sustainable development emerged in the 1980s in response to a growing realization of the need to balance economic and social progress with concern for the environment and the stewardship of natural resources† (â€Å"Education,† par. 2). The concept of sustainability has since permeated the globe. It is integrated within curricula or used to refer to â€Å"green† campus initiatives at numerous international and national universities, including: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Arizona State University, UMass Lowell (Lowell Center for Sustainable Production), UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Alaska Anchorage, George Washington University, and Colombia. MIT is part of an international partnership called the Alliance for Global Sustainability. Created in 1997, the Alliance â€Å"brings together hundreds of university scientists, engineers, and social scientists to address complex issues that lie at the intersection of environmental, economic and social goals† (â€Å"Alliance†). In 1999 Dow Jones launched Sustainability Indexes, which are â€Å"the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide† (â€Å"Dow†). By 2002, at the UN Johannesburg Summit, social justice and poverty were recognized as â€Å"key principles to development that is sustainable. The human and social aspects of sustainable development meant that solidarity, equity, partnership and cooperation were as crucial as scientific approaches to environmental protection† (â€Å"Education,† par. 6). At the 2002 Summit, the United Nations General Assembly declared years 2005–2014 the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development â€Å"as a way of signalling that education and learning lie at the heart of approaches to sustainable development† (â€Å"Education,† par. 6). According to the UN Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), â€Å"Improving the quality of education and reorienting its goals to recognize the importance of sustainable development must be one of UNESCO’s and the world’s highest priorities† (â€Å"Education,† par. 10). The Association of University Leaders for Sustainable Development, whose mission is to â€Å"make sustainability a major focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities worldwide† (â€Å"About†), has partnered with the International Association of Universities and UNESCO. â€Å"The rationale for

The Negative Effects of a Cellphone

When the first cellular phone was invented, its uses only went as far as a phone call. As time and technology advanced, so did the development of the cell phone. A basic phone today can make calls, take photos and videos and even function as a GPS. But with the advantages comes the disadvantages. The increased use of cell phones has had a negative influence on society. For example, the use of cellphones has limited socializing, the demand and costs have affected consumers negatively and they have also been a common factor in many car accidents, including fatalities. The dependency of cellphones has had a negative social effect.The cell phone is probably one of the most commonly owned devices in America. â€Å"75% of all American teens ages 12-17 own a cell phone, and 66% use their phones to send or receive text messages. † (Madden and Lenhart 2) The cell phone has become the primary source of communication for many people. The simplicity of typing a message, or making a phone call rather than relaying that message in person has resulted in a disconnect from society for many people. â€Å"Reliance on a relatively quick and cheap form of interaction means that we might dispense with the longer and more ponderous process of a personal visit. (Ling 185). So, although you may communicate more often through cellphones, the physical part of a relationship is neglected. As a result of depending on cellphones as a main source of communication one may, in a sense, forfeit a substantial portion of a much needed social life. Moreover, socializing is an acquired ability, an ability that is significant in the growth and maturation of children and teens. The over use of cellphones can impede one from fully exercising these abilities. A large number of people own and use cellphones regularly. So much so that it has become a societal norm.Almost every place one may go cell phones are practically expected of them. For example, at some doctors’ offices they offer a free texting service to remind a patient of any appointment that he or she may have. Many clothing and grocery stores offer coupons and sales alerts that can be sent directly to a mobile device. But the problem comes when not everyone can afford to keep up with what society has labeled to be â€Å"the norm. † There are many people who cannot afford to buy a phone let alone afford a phone bill every month. The cost for cellular service is xpensive and always increasing. According to a survey, â€Å"Of the 1,400 readers who responded, 80 noted their bill was between $190 and $210. On average, that group had 3. 1 phones, meaning the cost is about $65 per phone. People with bills near $250 paid $67 per phone† (Sullivan). As a result, a number of people reported that they felt the need budget and cut back in order to afford a phone bill. Unfortunately, society essentially requires people to have a cell phone, even with cut backs and budgeting, having a cell phone is not fi nancially realistic for everyone.The use of cellphones has shown to be very dangerous to drivers and their passengers. This is mainly due to the increase in texting and driving as well as the amount of phone calls made while behind the wheel. According to Madden and Lenhart, 52% of cell phone owning teens ages 16-17 say they have talked on a cell phone while driving. That translates into 43% of all American teens ages 16-17 (2). With such a high percentage of distracted drivers, the likelihood of accidents, with and without fatalities has also increased. In 2008 alone, there were 5,870 fatalities and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported† (Madden and Lenhart 3). Every time a driver decides to use a cell phone while operating a vehicle, they are not only putting their lives in danger, but also the lives of their passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers. Since the invention of the cell phone, its uses and capabilities have become a part of an everyday American life, an everyday life which cell phones has impacted society negatively.With an increased dependency on the cell phone, society and its growth have experienced major setbacks. Socialization, personal financials, and automotive drivers have all been effected in negative ways. This is mainly because the cell phone has evolved and is now made to do nearly anything one may think of. So although the cellphone was intended to help with one’s everyday life, what seems like a good idea at first may not affect society positively in the long run.

The Effects Of Clinical Depression On An Individual s...

There is never ending research in the field of dreaming. Social scientists and psychologists are so keen to delve into the workings of the unconscious brain, resulting in countless breakthroughs and theories as to why and how we dream. There is an article about the effect of clinical depression on an individual’s dreaming. It has been found that people suffering from depression dream three times more than those without depression. This is due to the higher levels of emotional arousal to get out of their system. â€Å"Depression causes (and is caused by) a lot of emotionally-arousing introspection, or rumination, that endless sort of worrying that never seems to go anywhere and just makes you feel bad...Dreaming literally takes the ‘charge’ out†¦show more content†¦The subtopic that I will be analyzing is the Continuity Hypothesis. This theory states that the content of our dreams reflects our everyday waking experiences. For example, the people we see on a daily basis such as our family, close friends, or coworkers are usually the main characters in our dreams. This theory suggests that since the recent experiences of your life are not yet ‘filed away’ deep in your brain yet, they are easy to manipulate into clear images and plot lines. In 1972, this hypothesis was presented by Calvin Hall, an American psychologist. He was the first dream researcher to suggest that the daily concerns and happenings of the dreamer’s life could be mirrored in their dreams as opposed to the popular belief that hidden libidinal (the instinctual energies and desires that are derived from the id) wishes or offsetting emotional strategies as proposed by psychodynamic theorists like Freud and Jung. Hall devised this theory through standardized dream content scoring inventories. He used this method to demonstrate that the most frequently occurring images or ideas were not peculiar events but rather routine social interactions between the dreamer and their most regular acquaintances. The psychological factors that affect one’s dreaming would be any type of mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, multiple