Tuesday, October 6, 2009

CIVILIZATION’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT;

CIVILIZATION’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT;
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRASHING THE EARTH
FALL 2009 ENVMT 19 CODE: 44739 3 UNITS
SYLLABUS Version 1

6:30-9:30pm Tuesdays, Saturday/Sunday 9:30am-4:00pm (lunch 12:30-1:00) 5/24 at the Environmental Center, Self-Reliant House (SRH) Robin Freeman, 510-434-3840 robinf5713@aol.com, David Ralston, DRalston@oaklandnet.com

Texts: Diamond, Jared, Guns, Germs, and Steel, Norton 1999 and Taylor, Shelley, The Tending Instinct, Times Books Henry Holt, 2002 - Available at bookstores, on line and on reserve in the Library. Course readers. Working Title: Authority, Stress. and Hope; How Civilization Lost Its Connection With Nature and How We Can Repair It. Freeman, Rauh et al. Creating Peace, Freeman
NOTE: Some syllabus details may change.

Introduction to civilization’s impact on the environment: Connections between human psychosocial development and the creation of both environmental problems and their solutions. Exploration of the human psyche, its origins in nature, and its influence on the story of life on earth; an exploration of the opportunities and obstacles to planning a sustainable future. The course will cover:

1 - Background concepts in ecology and psychology
2- Characterizing the problem applying new findings to old issues
3 - Research hypotheses
4 - Characterizing the solution

Learning Outcomes should assist in being able to:
1. Describe the basic psychological, cultural, and economic systems of humans.
2. Analyze and describe ecosystem concepts as they relate to human behavior.
3. Explain and discuss examples of sustainability problems, solutions, and scales from both a human psychosocial and an ecological perspective.
4. Analyze and discuss methods of measuring obstacles and opportunities for action.
5. Propose or identify potential psychological and sustainable ecological interventions and plans.

October 6 – Introductions, Hunches, Evidence and Research and What is Nature? Ecosystems; How We Live In Them
About course, Introductions Gaps beyond the cutting edge, emerging research and scientific discovery. Fire and Watersheds – Findings of the Fire and Watershed projects.
a. Ecosystem and system definitions
b. Homeostasis and feedback loops
c. Niches
d. Exponential growth
e. Stress and carrying capacity
f. Adaptive/maladaptive behavior
Discussion: What is civilization? What is basic human nature?
Assignment: list what you think are basic human nature characteristics
Read Guns, Germs and Steel Prologue through Chapter 5
October 10 Sat No class – These hours will be rescheduled to support class case studies.

October 13 – Psychological Development and the Natural History of Humans
Key Background concepts and definitions- , Human development, learning, and psychology, Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Ecosystem

Discussion: Basic human nature from a developmental point of view. Do human development and ecology interact?

Human nature list due
Assignment:: Write a paragraph of how the lecture topic affects you personally, or if not, why.
Read: Guns, Germs and Steel Chapter 6-10 and Authority, Stress. and Hope Preface, Introduction, and Hypothesis
Final Project: Choose any sector of literature listed below and one or more key concepts and research the literature. Keep track of where you looked and what you found. Summarize or annotate your findings, what general trends did you find? You will give a presentation to class. You may work in groups. Your research will be part of the archives at the Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies. Topic choice draft due Nov. 10. Draft due Nov. 24
Scientific: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Education, Political Science, Public Health,
Philosophy: Aesthetics, Ethics and the Nature of Good; Phenomenology, Rational Reductionism
Technical: Literature of solutions, Monitoring research of scale and type of problems
Popular Media: Non religious/spiritual reportage of solutions
Cultural Writing/Literature: Stories of solutions, hope and well being
Religious/Spiritual: Stories of solutions, hope and well being
Ancient Oral and Mythic: Stories of solutions, hope and well being

October 20 – PROFESSIONAL DAY No class

October 27 – Civilization, Authority, Stress and Collapse; Characterizing the Problem Origins and outcomes of Civilization
Paragraph due
Discussion: Despair vs. Hope; what is our sense of the future? Naming the problem.
Assignment: Write about your experience as a child in nature, and/or a childhood experience of friendship, good will, bullying, or fear. Due Nov. 8
Read: Authority, Stress. and Hope glossary and Guns, Germs and Steel Chapters 11-14, 18 Epilogue and Afterward
November 3 – Hypotheses for Hope
Authoritarian Stress Syndrome Caretaking, Tending and the Infrastructure of solutions. Chaos theory, scale and interventions. How does it all fit together?
Discussion: The nature of hope.
Assignment: - Write about an expansive, inspiring, pivotal or epiphinal experience, or the closest thing to it you have had.
Read: The Tending Instinct Chapters 1-3

November 8 Sun
Preparing the pre-conditions in the East Bay Green Corridor
Can we use the East Bay Green Corridor to redefine our landscape and city scape as a thriving, safe and healthy place beginning with the resources at hand?
Community-building/design-build and creative engagement weekend projects
Oakland Mayor’s Task Force participation and authority
Framing conversations on nested scales and systems
This class, Merritt ENVMT,Hills Neighborhood – Forests and watersheds
Oakland,East Bay, Global check list
East Bay Regional Parks Working Group to work with Whitney Dotson re: equitable access and San Leandro Creek
Childhood experience due

November 10 – The Shared Narrative and Sequellae; Characterizing the Solutions; Maintaining the Problems
Research draft list due. Inspiring experience due
Read Tending Instinct Chapters 4-6 and Authority, Stress. and Hope
November 15 Sun – host meeting EB Green Corridor TBA Exploring the creative potential and need of humans and how this has been effectively suppressed and exploited in modern civilization
Read: Creating Peace
November 17 - Empire, Social Class, Power, Money Decision Making And Democracy – The Invention Of Economics And Corporations- Symbols of Authority
Building a village by hand, Building a city by fiat. The Artisan and the Empire
Read Tending Instinct Chapters 7-9

November 22 Sun Institutional capacity: Why Robert Frost favors semi-revolutions.– host meeting EB Green Corridor TBA
Read Tending Instinct Chapters 10 - 11

November 24– Creating Violence; Infrastructures Of Addiction - Creating Peace Environments Integrated Against Alienation
Read Creating Peace
Assignment: Build a problem set of research questions. Suggest a method to research one element of your problem set and how to implement it as an alpha test.
Final Project Draft Due

December 1 Case Histories
Analyzing systems and research methods:
a. Psychosocial barriers to the development of effective environmental policy at the
community, national or international levels; identifying gaps
b. Intervention techniques for translating environmental knowledge into policy and action
Developing a Plan– Next steps/Roundtable
–Characterizing the Solutions/ Building a Research Agenda and an Action Plan– Case Studies and
Infrastructure and Interconnections – Give Hope a Plan
Choosing the future: Creating visions, plans, next steps, strategies:
a. Planning methods
b. Developing a vision: Where ideas come from, uses of the imagination
c. Social-based marketing
d. Designing interventions

December – 8– Research of Literature presentations
Course evaluations.

Course Requirements: The course may be taken for credit/non-credit (audit) or for a letter grade. For credit or a letter grade, reasonable attendance, participation, and completion of reading assignments are required. For a letter grade, weekly paragraphs and the research project are also required. To use the course towards a certificate or degree you must take it for a letter grade. At the end of the semester, you will evaluate the course and suggest your own grade.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING ENVMT 18

D R A F T SYLLABUS
ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING ENVMT 18
Code: 44609 2.5 units Robin Freeman, Contact: robinf5713@aol.com 213-3569 for office hours

SRH Environmental Center or field. Mondays 6:30-9:20 pm Sat/Sun 10am-4:30pm

Student Learning Outcomes:This is an introduction to technical, experiential or creative, descriptive, grant, report and publicity environmental writing. You will be able to identify, write rough drafts for, and edit several types of writing commonly used in the environmental field. You will be able to prepare a document to submit for publication.

SAT 9/5 Introductions, About Program, About Course, What is Environmental Writing?
Writing Exercises, interpretive trail walk and writing.
Exercise, Readings from other writers, Tidbits from writers on writing, read-around and editing every class
Reading assignment – choose a writing type and read some of it – bring a short passage you either like or find hard to read. Due beginning 9/14
Writing Assignment: Using the description of place and your hopes and any worries, write as honestly as you wish about your first experiences in this course. If you are willing, we can post them on our blog and submit them to the Merritt Reporter. This is due Mon, 9/14. You may choose not to hand it in or use it if you don’t want to, though I encourage you to. Review this draft syllabus for writing types you would like to suggest and your preferred order.

MON 9/14,–,. Shitty first draft. and finding your own voice. Writing a clear trail guide description for a general audience; writing about a childhood experience in the environment. Read around
Assignment: Childhood experience in the environment due next week
Due: Description of your first experience in this course. Selected readings every week

MON 9/21 Read from Childhood experience. Technical report writing – Environmental Impact Reports
Assignment: directions or instructions or description of an object or process – write a description for a 5 year old – write the same one for an adult
Due: Childhood experience in the environment

SAT 9/26 Interpretive writing, instructions. What are you going to use writing for? Discuss final project possibilities. Field trip: Pt. Pinole Richmond Shoreline Festival
Event description, interview, interpretive
Assignment List final project unedited draft ideas/annotate the subject categories at least 2 of your ideas
Due: Brief descriptive paragraphs
MON 9/28 Story telling; the narrative - and autobiographical/travel
Exercise, Readings from other writers, Tidbits from writers on writing
Assignment: Narrative
Due: Draft interpretive sign or brochure element for Nature Trail
SUN 10/4 outdoors, library research, coffee shop options, free write
Assignment: Research key words and submission venues for some project ideas and interpretive text
Due: Narrative draft
MON 10/5 Political persuasion; essay, letter to editor, approaching the press
Assignment: Point of view or promotional piece
Due: Pt. Pinole writings
SUN 10/11 Brainstorming and begin writing final project. Research writing and outdoors – Publicity and Press releases
Assignment: Write unedited lousy first draft
Due TBA as agreed with class from here on.
MON 10/12 Grant writing
Assignment: Write a project narrative
Due: Project first draft
MON 10/19 Power point writing / Review final project Writing for film/photo essay
Assignment
Due Press or publicity release
MON 10/26
Assignment
Due
MON 11/2
Assignment
Due
MON 11/9 Creative writing and Environmental Poetry
Assignment
Due
MON 11/16
Assignment
Due
MON 11/23 Final project due – submit for publication
Assignment
Due
MON 11/30 Read-around, pot luck
Due
Course Requirements: If you want to take the course for credit/non-credit you must do that on the user unfriendly PROMT/Passport system right away, if you haven’t already.
This course satisfies requirements for several ENVMT majors. If you are taking the course for a letter grade, there are ongoing writing and research assignments and a final project. The final project is to prepare one piece of writing for publication. It can be of any length. You will research and identify at least one venue where you can submit it. For a longer piece, you may prepare a proposal and query letter without having completed the work itself. You will evaluate the course and suggest a grade for yourself based on the value you have or might receive from participating in the course.

ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS. ENVMT 1

ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS. ENVMT 1. CODE 42043 1.O UNIT.
Fall ‘09 SYLLABUS. Environmental Center, Self Reliant House
INSTRUCTOR: ROBIN FREEMAN 510-434-3840, robinf5713@aol.com

Recommended texts (not required): The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers. Island Press; and What Color is Your Parachute?, 10 Speed Press

Course Requirements:
Environmental Careers is a required core course for Environmental Studies majors. It may be taken for 1) a letter grade (required of majors or for transfer grade point average), 2) for Credit (no grade, gives transfer elective units), or
3) No Credit (does not affect transcript). For those taking a letter grade, the course is self-grading.

1) Course attendance, 2) a minimum of 4 hours volunteer work for any environment related organization or firm, 3) an Informational Interview or Research Report on an environmental career are required for a letter grade. There will be brief evaluations of the interview and volunteer/intern projects (see due dates). An Environmental Career Portfolio will be developed during the course.

Your volunteer work can be for the Environmental Program at Merritt or at a location of your choosing which willing to have you for a short period of time.
Some organizations would rather have you for at least a full day. Of course, you are welcome to put in more than four hours. You should choose work that is interesting to you and fits into your career development. There will be listings available in class or from the Harbinger File, the Ecology Center on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley and numerous government agencies.

SCHEDULE:
Sep 14, 10am to 1pm - Introduction to the course, Class Introduction Interviews
Sep 21, 10am to 1pm - Preference Profiles, Environ. Careers Slide presentation
Sep 27- Sunday 10am- 4:30pm Bring bag lunch, 5 Year Plan, Strategy A and B,
Resume, History of Work, guest. To accommodate religious services, you may attend the afternoon only.
Break time for Interviews and Mini-internship
Oct 1910am to 1pm Reports on interviews/internships due, discussion/task,
Oct 2610am to 1pm Reports continued, discussion, evaluation.

ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION (ENVMT 22)

ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION (ENVMT 22) CODE: 44622
Strategies for energy and resource-efficient living

Instructor Team Contacts:
Leslie Geathers: nativearch@sbcglobal.net c. 510-292-7266
Bruce Douglas: lbdpe@sbcglobal.net
Robin Freeman: robinf5713@aol.com 213-3569

FALL 2009 SCHEDULE

Thursdays 6:30-8:50pm (9/10-12/3), and 3 Saturdays 9-4:20pm (9/12, 9/19, 10/3)
Environmental Center, Self Reliant House
Text: Natural Remodeling, for the Not-so- Green House, Venolia & Lerner, Lark Books


9/ 10: Introductions, instructors & students. Explanation of ongoing projects, class outline (hand out project outline/ expectations). Reading: Part I

9/12: Rain water garden installation. Trailer siding and water detail review. Natural Building class visits SRH

9/17: Living wall planting & irrigation, Project hand out. Reading: Part III, Chapter 7

9/19: EBMUD Trailer weatherization retrofit. Reading: Part II, Chapter 3

9/24: Intro to energy Reading: Part II, Chapter 5, Trailer details installation

10/1: Grey water: Guest Lecture. Reading: Part IV, Chapter 12

10/3: Raised bed construction/ and cover-crop seeding. Afternoon tour of local Eco complex. Part III, Chapter 8

10/8: Energy, solar energy, conservation

10/15: Straw bale construction, Guest Lecture

10/22: Passive Solar Design 1

10/29: Project check-in day

11/5: Passive Solar Design 2

11/12: PV Solar Design 1

11/19: PV Solar Design 2

11/26: Project check-in day

12/3: Final project presentations

You may take the class Credit/Non-Credit or for a letter grade based on:
55% Attendance, and discussion/participation
45% Projects

The Watershed Project's Internship Program, Richmond

Internship Program

The Watershed Project's Internship Program offers talented undergraduates, graduates, and beginning professionals hands-on work experience and specialized training in the fields of non-profit management and operations, environmental education, marketing and communications, and watershed program management. Interns will work under the guidance of our professional staff and will have the chance to contribute directly to meaningful and exciting projects, learn new skills, and gain valuable experience working for a well-respected and growing non-profit.


Our internship program is designed to provide the maximum educational benefit to participants by placing interns in positions that fit their professional interests and skill-sets. We welcome individuals with a variety of backgrounds to apply. We especially seek interns who have been directly involved in environmental work and have a demonstrated commitment to watershed and community stewardship.


Practical details:
The Watershed Project internships are unpaid; however, we are happy to help you receive academic credit for your work. In some cases, we are able to provide certification in a variety of EPA protocols. Hours and internship length are flexible to your schedule. All internships will be based out of our office on the lovely UC Berkeley Richmond Field Station, which is right on the San Francisco Bay. Travel expenses to and from project sites will be reimbursed by The Watershed Project.

Current needs:
We are always looking for talented and dedicated individuals with an interest in watershed issues. At the moment, we have a specific organizational need for:


Watershed Ambassador: Join the outreach team and represent The Watershed Project at public events. Run activities for adults and children and inspire community members to get involved in the watershed movement.

Web Development Intern: Help us develop and expand our website and online communications, including Facebook, Google AdWords, and YouTube.

Community Organizing Intern: Work with local schools, community groups, and residents on our Richmond Watershed Awareness and Action Program. Help recruit volunteers for restoration workdays and maintain important projects to improve the health and beauty of Richmond.

Outreach Intern: Help raise watershed awareness and expand the reach of our award-winning programs. Build solid and useful communications skills including web-based networking and social media.

Environmental Education Curriculum Development Intern: Join the education team and develop fresh content for our Oyster Program. The content will be used in schools across the Bay Area to teach students the importance of protecting subtidal habitat.

Landscape Design Intern: Work with our restoration team to design a park in Richmond utilizing Low Impact Design Techniques like bioswales. Your designs will actually be used to benefit the local community and environment.
To apply:
Please send a resume and cover letter expressing your professional interests, skills and experience by email to Femke Oldham at femke@thewatershedproject.org with "TWP Internship Program" in the subject line, or by regular mail to:

The Watershed Project Internship Program
1327 South 46th Street
155 Richmond Field Station
Richmond, CA 94804

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

SYLLABUS Fall 2009

INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
ENVMT 2, Code 42044 3 units

Team Contact: Robin Freeman M.A., 434-3840, robinf5713@aol.com, Office hrs (call first) @ SRH; Melinda Downing M.S., L. Bruce Douglas P.E.,
Teresa Williams M.S., M.A., Jennifer Shanoski PhD

Wednesday 6:30-9:30PM at the Environmental Center, Self Reliant House
Text: Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment, 14th Edition
(Note: You are welcome to use other editions if you can find them used. The chapter numbers here are for Edition14; read the chapters with similar titles in earlier editions. I have the correlations for some other Editions.)

8/26 Environmental Problems, Their Causes, Sustainability and History:
Edition 14:Chapters 1, 2; Robin Freeman M.A.
9/2 Aug 27 Science, Matter and Energy, Ecosystems: Chapters 3, 4; R. Freeman
9/9 Climate, Water, and Geologic Cycles: Chapters 6 Sections-1, 2, Chapters
15, 16; Teresa Williams M.S, M.A.
9/16 Energy: Chapters 17, 18; Bruce Douglas P.E.
9/23 Politics, Sustainability – discussion; Chapters 27, 28; Freeman
9/30 Risk, Toxicology, Air, H2O Pollution; Environmental Chemistry: Chapters 19,20, 22; Jennifer Shanoski
10/7 Environmental Chemistry continued; Chapters 24-7,8,9 Shanoski
10/14 Populations, Communities, Aquatic Zones: Chapters 8, 9,10 Downing
10/21 Forest Resources, Restoration, Global Warming: Chapters 11-3 through
11-10, 21 Freeman
10/28 Minerals, Soil, Water Pollution; Chapters 14-3&4, Williams
11/4 Urban Land Use, Economics; Chapters 25, 26; Freeman
11/11 HOLIDAY Solid Waste, Economics TBA; Chapter 24-1 24-6, 24-10 Freeman (video can be viewed at an arranged time)
11/18 Population, Biodiversity, Restoration: Chapters 5, 6 -.3-7, 11-1,2& 7-10 Downing
11/25 No Class
12/2 Pesticides, IPM, Extinctions, Conservation Biology, Chapters 11
(remaining sections) 12,13, 23 Downing
12/9 PROJECT REPORTS DUE Food Resources: Chapter 14 (remaining
sections); Freeman
12/16 Sustainable Planning Discussion, Class presentations, evaluations,
grades;.Freeman
Course Requirements:
• Weekly Assignment: Each week turn in one brief paragraph for each chapter about how the subject of that chapter affects your life in some way, or, if you do not think it does, why not.
• Semester Project: Choose one of the chapter subjects from anywhere in the text and either volunteer a minimum of 8 hours on a project related to that issue, or research how that subject affects the human (or other species) immune system and also the quality of life of young children. Focus your thoughts and investigation as locally, or as much within your experience as possible. If you choose the volunteer option, write briefly where you volunteered, what you did, and what was most and least useful to you about the experience and how, or if that particular area of effort affects, or could affect the human (or other species) immune system and also the quality of life of young children. If you choose the research and writing project, begin your research with the phone book. Does your subject appear there? Then follow up on the web or the library. Use the bibliography in the text and search for key words there and in the glossary. Describe how easy or difficult it was to make the connection. Use your own judgment. This is part of a research project at the Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies. Since it is research, there is no right answer. The research goal is to learn how people from diverse positions think about sustainable activities in a complex world, much of which may appear outside of our control.

You will grade yourself based on attendance, completion of weekly reading and writing assignments, and completion of your final project. This course is required for all of the Environmental majors. Environmental Studies 11 satisfies certain UC, CSU Social Sciences requirements.

On campus or Merritt related volunteer opportunities:
• Sustainable Peralta Colleges Initiative
• Construction or installation of Green Building and energy materials at the Environmental Center or fire/native vegetation management trail maintenance and signs.
• Creek related and community projects at the Watershed Center
• Form a student Environmental organization
• Catalogue and file environmental publications at the Environ. Center
• Research Group; Brower Dellums Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies

Environmental Writing

Every environmental field includes writing! In this introductory course you will explore writing about place, your own experience, personal essay, report, technical, publicity and informational or interpretive writing. You will receive valuable feedback from your fellow writers. Past students have published in the college newspaper, the Economist, and one published a novel. No experience is necessary, and writers with experience are welcome. This course satisfies major and certificate requirements.

Robin M. Freeman, Coordinator of the Environmental Management & Technology Program and Co-Director of the Brower Dellums Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies, is an editor with Conservation Press, has published in environmental journals, written textbooks, and co-authored the Sierra Club Yodeler series of interviews which include Linus Pauling, Pete Seegar, Daniel Ellsberg, Ronald V Dellums, Carl Anthony, David Brower, Hazel Henderson, and Dr. Helen Caldicott.



Mondays 6:30-9:30pm (9/14-12/7), 3 Saturdays 10am-4:30pm (8/29, 9/5, 9/26), and 2 Sundays 10am-4:30pm (10/4, 10/11).
1st class is Saturday 8/29, late enrollment OK!

Register and Enroll at www.peralta.edu with code: 44609*
Course is 2.5 units, $50, fee waivers available *When enrolling in multiple courses, the computer may show a false schedule conflict. Please contact us and we will help you enroll.

Visit www.ecomerritt.org for contact info, directions and map

GLOBAL WARMING, Wildfires, storms, melting ice…What is happening and can we repair it???

GET A GREEN EDUCATION & GREEN JOB TRAINING IN:

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
GREEN BUILDING & ENERGY MANAGEMENT
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION & WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
URBAN FARMING & AGRO ECOLOGY
HUMAN ECOLOGY, POLICY, PLANNING & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
RANGER NATURALIST OUTDOOR EDUCATION


MERRITT COLLEGE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
12500 Campus Drive, Oakland
35th off 580, Redwood Road or Carson off 13; 54 Bus from Fruitvale BART

Register at: www.peralta.edu

www.ecomerritt.org for more info, maps and directions
510.434.3840 (msg only) or email ecomerritt@yahoo.com

Controversial “Green” Environmental Topics at Merritt College

Controversial “Green” Environmental Topics at Merritt College

Will the Bay Area get flooded, go broke, lose a generation to jails, burn again, or become green and sustainable? Merritt College’s Environmental Management and Technology faculty will be addressing these questions beginning August 26 at the Oakland hills campus. “There are indeed serious problems, but there are also substantial solutions to them.” Says Robin Freeman. Coordinator of the Program’s free and low cost courses, lectures and workshops

How do you find a “green” job? How dangerous is global warming and how does it affect the Bay Area? What in human nature allows civilizations to repeatedly collapse and what will give hope a plan? Will the Bay Area be able to plan its way out of social, economic and environmental crisis?

“Most in the new rush towards green products and jobs are relative newcomers. Merritt College, with the state’s oldest Community College environmental program has 47 years of experience. Our Adjunct Professors are practicing professionals and know the difference between greenwashing bubbles and what will last.” Freeman points out.

“Politics rewards aggression”, says Professor Freeman. Can the skills which make winners solve our social, financial and environmental problems? Urban Planners, Green Builders, Social Psychologists and Philosophers, Tree Experts, Environmental Scientists, and Educators take these questions on in lectures and hands-on projects.

Research Released on Civilization’s Impact
Informed by the newly to be released research findings of the David R. Brower, Ronald V. Dellums Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies, upcoming courses explore how bad these problems are. “Workshops and field trips will discuss the solutions that we have, and how to connect the dots to put it all together.” Freeman continues “For example, how can our East Bay trees be managed as an urban forest for beauty, increase calm, reduce fire threat, increase clean water and air, provide beautiful wood and recreation and biodiversity? Do we know how to and have the organizations and experts? Yes. Can we create jobs and money flow? Yes. Are we doing these things? Only on a very limited basis.”

The city is civilization’s largest artifact. How does human nature affect the world? Is the social and environmental collapse of urban empires inevitable? Explore with a learning theorist and an urban planner how civilizations collapse and how to plan our way out of this cycle.

Faculty include Green building designer Leslie Geathers, Urban Planner David Ralston PhD, Fire Ecologist Maria Morales, Watershed restorationist, Martha Berthelsen, Environmental Justice expert Nehanda Imara, Natural Historian Ron Felzer among others.

Environmental Writing Course Starts September 5
Every environmental field includes writing. In this introductory course you will explore writing about place, your own experience, personal essay, report, technical, publicity and informational or interpretive writing. You will receive valuable feedback from your fellow writers. Past students have published in the college newspaper, the Economist, and a published a novel. No experience is necessary, and writers with experience are welcome. The course satisfies major and certificate requirements.

The course is taught by Freeman, who is Co-Director of the Brower Dellums Institute for Sustainable Policy Studies, is an editor with Conservation Press, has published in environmental journals, written textbooks, and co-authored the Sierra Club Yodeler series of interviews which include Linus Pauling, Pete Seegar, Daniel Ellsberg, Ronald V Dellums, Carl Anthony, David Brower, Hazel Henderson, and Dr. Helen Caldicott.

For schedules and information contact www.ecomerritt.org

END

Sunday, January 25, 2009

SPRING 2009 SYLLABI

ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS. ENVMT 1. # 23727 1.O UNIT
Spring ‘09 SYLLABUS
Environmental Center, Self Reliant House
INSTRUCTOR: ROBIN FREEMAN 510-434-3840, robinf5713@aol.com

Recommended texts (not required): The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers. Island Press; and What Color is Your Parachute?, 10 Speed Press

Course Requirements:
Environmental Careers is a required core course for Environmental Studies majors. It may be taken for 1) a letter grade (required of majors or for transfer grade point average), 2) for Credit (no grade, gives transfer elective units), or
3) No Credit (does not affect transcript). For those taking a letter grade, you will participate in grading yourself.

1) Course attendance, 2) a minimum of 4 hours volunteer work for any environment related organization or firm, 3) an Informational Interview or Research Report on an environmental career are required for a letter grade. There will be brief evaluations of the interview and volunteer/intern projects (see due dates). An Environmental Career Portfolio will be developed during the course.

Your volunteer work can be for the Environmental Program at Merritt or at a location of your choosing which willing to have you for a short period of time.
Some organizations would rather have you for at least a full day. Of course, you are welcome to put in more than four hours. You should choose work that is interesting to you and fits into your career development. There will be listings available in class or on line, the Ecology Center on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley and numerous government agencies.

Learning Outcomes: You will be able to research and survey environmental job or entrepreneurial opportunities, prioritize your choices and make and execute a plan to work in that career pathway.

SCHEDULE:
Jan 26, 6:30-9:30 pm - Introduction to the course, Class Introduction Interviews
Feb 2, 6:30-9:30 pm - Preference Profiles, Environ. Careers Slide presentation
Feb 8 - Sunday, 10am – 4pm Bring bag lunch, 5 Year Plan, Strategy A and B,
Resume, History of Work,. To accommodate religious services, you may attend the afternoon only.
Break time for Interviews and Mini-internship
March 2, 6:30-9:30pm Reports on interviews/internships due, discussion/task,
March 9, 6:30-9:30pm Reports continued, discussion, evaluation.



Introduction to Green Building and Ecological Design
SYLLABUS
Spring 2009 ENVMT 20 # 25427 3.0 units
Bruce Douglas P.E, lbdpe@sbcglobal.net Robin Freeman M.A. 510.434.3840 robinf5713@aol.com,, Leslie Geathers, BArch. nativearch@sbcglobal.net
Please subscribe to the course email list: GreenBuildingDesign-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to receive announcements, and see related materials. Also, some information will be posted on Robin Freeman’s Classes at www.ecomerritt.org under links. See Environmental Jobs at the same site.

Texts:
Introduction to Green Building, Freeman, Geathers, Douglas et al. $15 CD $2
Sustainable Architecture White Papers, Brown et al. approx. $17 Builder’s Booksource

January 15 through February 19: Thursdays, 7-9:20 pm
5 Sat/Sun, 9:00am-noon, 12:30-5:30pm (1/17,24,25,31;2/1)
Optional Lab ENVMT 50 Thur. 5pm – 7pm #23734 1.0 unit and TBA

1. Thursday, Jan 15: (Freeman, Geathers, Douglas) Program, Course Introduction. Class introductions, What does Green mean to you? Ecosystem function. Assignment: Systems Input-output map. Read Chapters 1,2 in Intro. To Green Building

2. Saturday, Jan 17: 9am (Freeman, Geathers) Dress for walking. Bring food for a community lunch. Greenhouse construction & mtls list. Ecosystem and Watersheds walk; Biomimcry at the Environmental Center, Working Groups;. Sustainable Architecture Overview. Visit Shorebird Nature Center
Assignment: Home Site Analysis; Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 3,4; Read Sections. 1&2 in White Papers and write a brief paragraph or 2 about how what you read affects you personally; your own thoughts; you don’t need to describe the content.

3. Thursday, Jan 22: (Freeman) , Imagination, Design, and Thriving Human Communities; Discuss input/output/systems.
Assignment: Input/Output/Systems due. Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 7 and 9

4. Saturday, Jan 24: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Design Determinants and Architectural Program for Environmental Center Self Reliant House. Greenhouse Construction Details. Hand out project –Design Basics, Review Home Site Analysis. Assignment: Home Site Analysis Due. White Papers: Paragraph due and read Sections 3 and 4 and write your response; due Jan. 31 – Intro. To Green Building Chapters 5,6,8,10

5.Sunday, Jan 25: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Solar site mapping, building monitoring, Energy, Energy Conservation ,Passive Solar, Resources use.
.
6.Thursday, Jan 29 : (Freeman) Green Building Materials; Availability, Design and Choice, Natural Building, Regenerative Design, Universal Design, Permaculture Design, Ecological Design – in class design exercise
Assignment: Final Project group work

7. Saturday, Jan 31: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Building Monitoring, Water capture, conservation, re-use systems. Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: See Sunday below – water filtration systems

8. Sunday, Feb 1: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Review Bubble Diagrams, Site project assessment and programming . Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: White Papers Paragraphs due and read Sections 5 and 6; think of how concepts relate to the final project. Research roof water and greywater filtration systems for final project specifications – cost, availability, type, reviews

9. Thursday, Feb 5: (Geathers) Design project review and graphics in class
Assignment: Final Project group work. Guest TBA (Rana Creek)

10. Thursday, Feb 12: (Freeman) LEED, Building Performance Checklists, Permits. Group project work.
Assignment: Final Project group work

11. Thursday, Feb 19: (Douglas,Freeman, Geathers) Presentations and Pot-luck Presentations Due

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Course Requirements for a letter grade (Non-credit also available on line): You will grade yourself based on completion of the assignments, reading, attendance, participation and final presentation. This course is required for the Green Building and Energy Management major.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: You will be able to use architectural, construction and green building terms to approach and analyze design and construction projects and to put them into personal, site, local, regional and global context.


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ENVMT 50 SPECIAL PROJECTS IN ECOLOGICAL DESIGN, INSTALLATION AND MAINTANENCE
# 23733 & 34; 0.5 to 3.0 Variable Units
SPRING 2009 SYLLABUS
Robin Freeman; robinf5712@aol.com; msg 510-434-3840 Environmental Center SRH cell 510-213-3569

January 26, Monday 1:30 First general class meeting. Students select projects; tour the Environ. Center if new to program. Special project schedules to be arranged. (18 hours per unit – ie 0.5 unit = 9 hrs). Discuss relationship to ENVMT 501. 7 Mondays at this time through April 6 unless re-scheduled to fit projects; some of which are noted below.

January – Feb. 19, Thursdays 5:00 – 7:00 pm Green Building Lab. This replaces ENVMT 20L for majors this semester and can continue beyond the concurrent ENVMT 20 course. Students may also schedule additional hours.

March 24 – May 5, Tuesdays 12:30 pm – 3:30pm – Baywood Learning Center students join us 1pm – 2:30 only (Baywood is up long drive with Cedar trees and Community Church sign off Campus Drive just uphill from Munk School) Trail design, installation and maintenance with Baywood K-8 students. Provides lab for Ranger Naturalist Outdoor Education and Environmental Restoration majors as well as field elective for other majors.

April 24 Friday 8am – 6pm Sustainable Peralta Conference; including preparation time as arranged (see above)

Fundraising Workshop(s) – To be scheduled

Environmental Center SRH workdays – Landscape restoration, Urban Farming, Green Building, Materials and data organization - To be scheduled

The Land and The People Student Green Club – To be scheduled

Student Designed Projects - This is always an important part of this course. Use our faculty and resources to support your selection and design of a project of your choice.

Learning Outcome: You will be able to select, plan, and execute green related projects utilizing available resources.

Requirements: Written Agreement describing your project and either written evaluation report or oral presentation.



URBAN ECOLOGY SYLLABUS
SPRING 2009
ENVMT 10 #24957 2 units
D R A F T 1

TEAM: Robin Freeman MA, David Ralston PhD
Contact: Robin Freeman, 510-434-3840, robinf5713@aol.com – cell for field 510.915-1452; David Ralston, Dralston@oaklandnet.com

9 Tuesdays 6:30 – 8:30pm; 4 Saturdays 10am – 2:45pm (locations TBA)
TEXT: Select readings from list to review; Oakland Task Force Memo & Addenda

1.January 20 – Freeman and Ralston
• Introduction to ENVMT program and welcome
• Introductions
o Name
o How did you find out about the class
o Do you have any environmental or planning experience?
• Discussion
o What does Urban Ecology mean to you
o What do you hope to learn in the class; i.e. what should be covered?
o What do you hope will happen during the Obama Administration?
o Ecology history
• Overview of course & Assignments
• Assignments
o Reading: Search books from the list – due 2/27
o Make a preliminary list of which Urban Ecology issues interest you most & why; due 2/27
o Attend a public decision making meeting and evaluate; reports begin 2/17

2.January 27 – Freeman
5,000 years of the City in the Ecosystem; Sustainability Ecology, and Human Behavior-Culture
Discussion:
Assignment Due: List of interests; Book search- reading TBA
Obama/Dellums Oakland Task Force Memo & Addenda reader; write a brief paragraph or 2 how any or all of it would affect you – due 2/17

3. February 3 – Ralston
Ecological Concepts And Their Application To The City; Mapping Layers Of Data and Ecologies
Discussion
Assignment Due: Reading report; Write second draft of Urban Ecology issue actions/interests/goals

4.February 7 (Saturday) Freeman: 10 am Meet at the Environmental Center–
Watershed hike on Lion Creek . Dress for walking and bring lunch and water. Sacred places: Temescal Creek at Bay Street, Emeryville
5. February 10 Ralston
Mapping Narratives Of Place – A River Runs Through It - Water
Discussion
Assignment: Draft Plan topics,
Readings: Report and new assignment

6. February 17 – Freeman, Ralston
Urban Ecological Topography – Introduction to Mapping layers of place – East Bay Focus; class participates in giving hope a plan in the "Green Corridor" , green jobs and Healthy Cities, neighborhood centers on creek greenways
• Environmental Justice, Agriculture, Solid Waste. Energy in transport & Green Building as pollution and green/conservation as employment opportunity , ,
Assignments: Reading of Oakland Task Force completed – Paragraph due
Public meeting reports begin; choose final topic/work group/action plan

7. February 21 (Saturday) – Freeman, Ralston; Field meeting location TBA
Green Corridor: Food, Air, Shelter, Culture (Gill Tract, Strawberry Canyon, Albany Village, Richmond shoreline, other…)
Possible Guest

8. February 24 -
Urban Ecological Topography – Mapping continued /Work groups
Assignment: Book report, Project lousy first draft contents due
Action Planning Begins
Public Meeting Reports continue

9. February 28 (Saturday) - Field meeting location TBA
Green Corridor: Food , Air, Shelter, Culture (Gill Tract, Strawberry Canyon, Albany Village, Richmond shoreline, other…)
Possible Guest
Project work groups

10. March 3 –
Debrief and discussion on field visits, project work groups working session
-In-class mock up of mapping of Green Corridor visits
Assignment: Public meeting report/Project work

11. March 7 (Saturday) – Field meeting location TBA
Green Corridor: Food , Air, Shelter, Culture (Gill Tract, Strawberry Canyon, Albany Village, Richmond shoreline, other…)
Possible Guest
Mapping in class lab/ project work

12. March 10 - From Understanding to Assessments to Application. Urban Ecological Goals for Planning/Policy Mapping, vision and Giving Hope a Practical Plan
Working Session

13. March 17 – Pot Luck Group Presentations of urban ecological plan for our area, and Evaluations,

Extra Credit and Community Service:
You are encouraged to continue work on any project you learn about during the course, Help with the East Bay Green Corridor and/or Green Jobs. Help organize a Sustainable Site Ecological Design Development Projection for Merritt “Surplus Land” parking lot B. Work with any creek or watershed organization, community garden or food security project.

Course Requirements & Learning Outcomes:
Urban Ecology may be taken for a letter grade or Credit/No Credit. It is required and must be taken for a letter grade for a Certificate or Degree. For Credit, 75% attendance and participation is required. For a letter grade, minimum 75% attendance, class participation, assignments, and a Final Project are required. You will evaluate yourself (and the course) as a major part of assigning your grade. Outcome: You will be able to identify and describe urban sustainability issues and opportunities, prepare a draft plan to address one, and take the first steps to implement and evaluate it.

Final Project:
This is either a written report or a hands-on activity, or both. Choose a project or site from the course and propose how you will either work directly on that area, or how you will research or analyze some aspect of one of the study sites from the point of view of an “Infrastructure or Mapping Project”. These are due the last meeting of the class. Detailed instructions will be developed by the class as Action Planning.

Suggested Readings:
1. Merritt College Watershed Center, CD
2. The Country in the City, Walker
3. Oakland, a Sustainable City, Durst
4. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities
5. anything by Louis Mumford
6. Illich, Ivan. H20 and the Waters of Forgetfulness
7. Hawkins, Paul. The Ecology of Commerce, and other works
8. Brechin, Gray. Imperial San Francisco
9. Taylor, Shelley. The Tending Instinct
10. Urban Habitat publications including Race, Poverty, and the Environment, Pacific Institute Project report (both these organizations are in Oakland)
11. Beatley, Manning. The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy, and Community.
12. Raynar Banham, Architecture of the four ecologies
13. George Perkins Marsh, 1847, Man and Nature
14. Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia
15. From Chicago to LA: making Sense of Urban Theory, ed Dear 2002 (see chapter by Lura Pulido, “Urban Nature and the Nature of Urbanism”
16. Mike Davis, Ecology of Fear
17. Reading past histories of Oakland
18. Topophilia, Yi-Fu Tuan
19. Aesthetic Appreciation and Surface Phenomena, Tuan
20. Ann Buttimer, Dynamics of the Lifeworld
21. Brower, Progress As If Survival Mattered




ENVMT 501 SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY
# 23735 & 36; 0 Units
SPRING 2009 SYLLABUS
Robin Freeman; robinf5712@aol.com; msg 510-434-3840 Environmental Center SRH cell 510-213-3569

Friday, January 17 12 - 5 First general class meeting. Students select projects; tour the Environ. Center if new to program. Special project schedules to be arranged to fit projects; some of which are noted below. Discuss relationship to ENVMT 50.

1. Community Service hours for ENVMT 1, ENVMT 10, ENVMT 20, ENVMT 50, ENVMT 210 A and B

2. Trail design, installation and maintenance on campus and Lion Creek. Provides community service for Ranger Naturalist Outdoor Education and Environmental Restoration Watershed Management majors as well as field elective for other majors.

3. Sustainable Peralta Conference; including preparation time.

4. Fundraising

5. Environmental Center SRH– Landscape restoration, Urban Farming, Green Building, Materials and data organization

6. The Land and The People Student Green Club

7. Student Designed Projects - Use our faculty and resources to support your selection and design of a community project of your choice.

Learning Outcome: You will be able to select, plan, and execute green community service projects utilizing available resources.

Requirements: This is a non-graded, 0 unit, no cost Community Service course. It is required for Community Service hours for ENVMT 1, ENVMT 10, ENVMT 20, ENVMT 50, ENVMT 210 A and B

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Course Syllabus for ENVMT 20 Introduction to Green Building and Ecological Design

Introduction to Green Building and Ecological Design
SYLLABUS
Spring 2009 ENVMT 20 # 25427 3.0 units
Bruce Douglas P.E, lbdpe@sbcglobal.net Robin Freeman M.A. 510.434.3840 robinf5713@aol.com,, Leslie Geathers, BArch. nativearch@sbcglobal.net
Please subscribe to the course email list: GreenBuildingDesign-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to receive announcements, and see related materials. Also, some information will be posted on Robin Freeman’s Classes at www.ecomerritt.org under links. See Environmental Jobs at the same site.

Texts:
Introduction to Green Building, Freeman, Geathers, Douglas et al. $15 CD $2
Sustainable Architecture White Papers, Brown et al. approx. $17 Builder’s Booksource

January 15 through February 19: Thursdays, 7-9:20 pm
5 Sat/Sun, 9:00am-noon, 12:30-5:30pm (1/17,24,25,31;2/1)
Optional Lab ENVMT 50 Thur. 5pm – 7pm #23734 1.0 unit and TBA

1. Thursday, Jan 15: (Freeman, Geathers, Douglas) Program, Course Introduction. Class introductions, What does Green mean to you? Ecosystem function. Assignment: Systems Input-output map. Read Chapters 1,2 in Intro. To Green Building

2. Saturday, Jan 17: 9am (Freeman, Geathers) Dress for walking. Bring food for a community lunch. Greenhouse construction & mtls list. Ecosystem and Watersheds walk; Biomimcry at the Environmental Center, Working Groups;. Sustainable Architecture Overview. Visit Shorebird Nature Center
Assignment: Home Site Analysis; Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 3,4; Read Sections. 1&2 in White Papers and write a brief paragraph or 2 about how what you read affects you personally; your own thoughts; you don’t need to describe the content.

3. Thursday, Jan 22: (Freeman) , Imagination, Design, and Thriving Human Communities; Discuss input/output/systems.
Assignment: Input/Output/Systems due. Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 7 and 9

4. Saturday, Jan 24: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Design Determinants and Architectural Program for Environmental Center Self Reliant House. Greenhouse Construction Details. Hand out project –Design Basics, Review Home Site Analysis. Assignment: Home Site Analysis Due. White Papers: Paragraph due and read Sections 3 and 4 and write your response; due Jan. 31 – Intro. To Green Building Chapters 5,6,8,10

5.Sunday, Jan 25: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Solar site mapping, building monitoring, Energy, Energy Conservation ,Passive Solar, Resources use.
.
6.Thursday, Jan 29 : (Freeman) Green Building Materials; Availability, Design and Choice, Natural Building, Regenerative Design, Universal Design, Permaculture Design, Ecological Design – in class design exercise
Assignment: Final Project group work

7. Saturday, Jan 31: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Building Monitoring, Water capture, conservation, re-use systems. Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: See Sunday below – water filtration systems

8. Sunday, Feb 1: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Review Bubble Diagrams, Site project assessment and programming . Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: White Papers Paragraphs due and read Sections 5 and 6; think of how concepts relate to the final project. Research roof water and greywater filtration systems for final project specifications – cost, availability, type, reviews

9. Thursday, Feb 5: (Geathers) Design project review and graphics in class
Assignment: Final Project group work. Guest TBA (Rana Creek)

10. Thursday, Feb 12: (Freeman) LEED, Building Performance Checklists, Permits. Group project work.
Assignment: Final Project group work

11. Thursday, Feb 19: (Douglas,Freeman, Geathers) Presentations and Pot-luck Presentations Due

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Course Requirements for a letter grade (Non-credit also available on line): You will grade yourself based on completion of the assignments, reading, attendance, participation and final presentation. This course is required for the Green Building and Energy Management major.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: You will be able to use architectural, construction and green building terms to approach and analyze design and construction projects and to put them into personal, site, local, regional and global context.