Green Learning Community

As we have already witnessed in Poli 477, the course is not structured as a normal college class. Starting from the way we are literally structured, in a round table layout, we are able to interact better with our classmates and professors. This allows for a more comfortable and inviting setting that I feel reduces anxiety. Whereas, in large typical classrooms the professor is preaching from the front with the students lined in rows. In this setting it is less likely that a good discussion will start and less students will question the professor.

After reading about student democracy in the classroom I feel that this is something that has been seen in the majority of my classes in the Green Quad. There is almost always a mutual respect between the students and teachers and all viewpoints on a subject. Afterall, if we can not debate topics and viewpoints then we are just learning what the teacher is telling us and trusting in their opinion. In many of these courses the structure is similar to William Caspary's. His goals are to integrate the students viewpoints and discussion with the course material. This forces students to think about the material in rational and intriguing ways to try to contribute to the conversation. I also felt that his grading system approach was interesting and very true. In other courses I am given 3 or 4 chances to do good just by studying the material and hope that I can understand it. Personally, I do not think this is necessarily a fair form of judgement, however, that could be because I am not good with memorization.

I feel that through my experience with green learning community classes I have become more open to new ideas and view points. This has helped me explore my own thoughts and feelings while also speaking up about the issues that I feel strongly about. Even during our class on Monday I may not have had much to contribute, but I was intrigued by the view points and interests in my peers. It resulted in me doing more research outside of the classroom on these topics so that I could be more knowledgable. While I do agree with the green learning models, I question how it would be applied in other courses such as a chemistry lecture or a physics class. Has this ever been tried?

Sustainable Carolina

While there are many different aspects that go into sustainability on campus, I am very pleased with how Sustainable Carolina has grown. I have been familiar with the program for a few years and have seen its impacts on campus. In fact, I was accepted for an internship with it last year, but I had to turn it down due to my class load. I hope that maybe next fall I am able to work with them again and become a part of the great team that they have.
I know a little about each project team and what it is that they do on campus. My favorite would be the Built team or Greening the Mind. One of my interests is sustainable design, building, and infrastructure. I know which buildings on campus are LEED and the requirements that are needed to be a sustainable design. While there are numerous on campus, with an evergrowing student body and demand, it is important to maintain these requirements and planning aspects. Our campus is not necessarily sustainably built or mapped and I would love to work with the Built Team on these aspects.
Another favorite of mine is the Greening the Mind team. I feel that this connects the educational to personal beliefs. One large challenge with sustainability is getting others to understand and believe that climate change is happening. I would love to work with this team to integrate this more. It also helps that they provide extra activities, such as yoga and mediation, to help maintain a balance. I am interested in what Baldwin and this team's project is for this semester. 
A few questions that I have is how can we use our resources from AASHE and projects that other schools have done to help improve our campus? I feel that, while there has been great progress made with Sustainable Carolina, our school is still far behind. Lets figure out what we can do to help! 

Expectations and Explorations

What do you want to get out of the course?  What interests you about “green politics?”  What do you want to explore?

After studying the environment and sustainable practices for the past three years, I am hoping this class will further inspire me. Because the course is not set up or graded as a normal lecture class, it excites me to see these teaching methods applied. I support the professors methods in which there are different methods to learning and real life application is one of the best. 
I admit that I am a little confused as to what "green politics" really stands for and means. But after all, I guess that's what I hope to learn. I am interested in how our politics play a role environmentalism and vice versa. I feel that the two are strongly connected but lack support and acknowledgment. This is not a new problem, nor a small one that can be fixed overnight. But with a better education on these relationships will hopefully provide answers and ways to move forward.
I am also looking forward to working with Sustainable Carolina and their project teams. There we will be able to apply the class material and work with a group on actual problems we face on campus. While I am not yet sure which team I would like to be a part of, I am passionate about most of the different topics and projects. I hope that I will be able to help with the project and assist the members with problems that they will face.