prt course work
1)
Vanessa Gregory
11/7/13
ENVST 2100-090
Cooperation, Is it Now or Never?
Fast forward to the year 2050 and imagine this. The global temperature has increased more than two degrees Celsius, which has caused the rate of glacier depletion to rapidly increase. More than nine billion people inhabit the planet and over seventy percent of these nine billion people live in cities. As more countries have industrialized, the number of cars being driven while releasing C02 into the atmosphere have skyrocketed. The “standard of living” has gone up, which means more energy per capita is being used. The usage of wind power has increased, but most of our energy is still produced by burning fossil fuels. These are just a few of the many changes that could take place in the world within the next thirty seven years. Now fast forward to 2050 and imagine something different. Some of the changes mentioned in the previous paragraph have still taken place, but not on such a large scale. More countries are living at the highest standard of living possible, while using the minimum amount of energy consumption that is needed. Instead of burning fossil fuels for energy, wind and solar power are our main sources of energy. We have taken steps to reduce population growth by increasing education globally. The increase of education has developed a population that is more environmentally aware and responsible. The world’s population has still grown, but technology has allowed us to develop more sustainable transportation systems, which helps manage the masses efficiently. Wouldn’t that be great?
Doctors David Chapman, Steve Burian and Harvey Miller research social and ecological issues that the world is currently facing, and will increasingly face if environmental changes are not made in the future. The three discuss issues such as sustainability, population, time scales, urban water systems and mobility, just to name a few. What can be drawn from the following readings is the idea of cooperation. The world is comprised of many individuals that are capable of making miraculous changes, if only we all work together to make it happen. Thus, having a world similar to the one described in the second paragraph opposed to the first is not impossible, but it will take hard work, innovation and most of all: Cooperation.
In Chapter One David Chapman presents us with what he believes are the main concepts we need to deal with. These being sustainability, time scales and population. Chapman reinforces throughout his writing that the time is now, and science is settled enough for us to take action and make changes based on what we know. We can no longer deny that global warming is an actual “thing.” Reality is that climate change and global warming are occurring, and they are manmade. Chapman discusses the three causes of global warming, (solar effects, humanity, and greenhouse effects.) From there he presents positive solutions to help alleviate the sustainability, time scale and population problems we are facing. Ranging from the future of wind and solar power to increased education to manage population growth, Chapman leaves us with solutions that may be possible to achieve if we collectively take responsibility and “vote for our future.”
Chapter Two introduces Steve Burian, a civil and environmental engineer whose expertise is in sustainable water systems. Burian raises the question, how do we create urban water systems that are resilient to climate change and to population growth? As urban impacts on the water cycle continues to cause erosion, damage to ecosystems, and many other problems our need for sustainable water systems is increasing. A huge issue is that we have developed infrastructures and institutions that are independent from one another. Burian emphasizes that in order to produce beneficial outcomes and increase sustainability, we must get the subsystems to work together to form a cohesive unit. This is difficult because the natural systems were once functioning efficiently and then we urbanized and made cities, which altered the natural systems and caused them to not work. We may be far from a world functioning on sustainable urban water systems, but in order to increase efficiency and minimize decreased biological richness and negative impacts to public health, we must start somewhere. In addition, Steve Burian notes that this does not only entail cooperation from governments or big businesses to help build these sustainable water systems, but individual responsibility for how we use the systems will be crucial in order to be more waste efficient.
Last but not least Harvey Miller discusses geographic information systems. With population increasing and more parts of the world becoming wealthier, this leads to an increase in automobile mobilization. Thus, Miller believes that the need for cooperative transportation systems in the future will be crucial. As he explains, computer methods of collecting geographic data, then sorting, mapping, and analyzing this information can be used to track human mobility patterns. Miller raises the point that this consumption of “big data” will be useful for building more sustainable, livable communities as well as sustainable transportation that will be necessary with future population growth. Miller relents that although humanity is facing collective failures such as mobility, some of these failures can be resolved through cooperative behavior. Through these means of big data such as social media and apps, likeminded people with shared interests have the ability to group form, coordinate and produce better collective outcomes. As David Orr states, “if, for a moment, you get very quiet...you can feel the transformation going on in the neighborhoods, towns, and cities all over the United States. It has grown into a worldwide movement that rejects the idea that we are fated to end the human experiment with a bang or a whimper on a scorched and barren Earth. It is the sound of humankind growing to a fuller stature-a transformation just in time.” This is the kind of transformation that Chapman, Burian, Miller and thousands of other individuals concerned with the future of the planet want to see. Throughout the book the three authors discuss many pressing environmental problems that our world is currently facing because they realize that it is crucial to inform people of our environmental situation, so action can be taken sooner rather than later.
Although reading about these issues can be depressing, the information presented is not intended to instill a sense of hopelessness in the reader, but rather create a sense of urgency. We are capable of cultivating sustainable outcomes and tackling these hard pressing environmental issues if we cooperate, and work together. As Donella Meadows said in her piece ‘Dancing with Systems,’ “We can’t control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them!” We may not know everything about the earth or be able to predict our future to a tee, but we know enough to take action and help alleviate some of these problems before they get worse. So lets dance.
Works Cited
1. David Orr, Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (New York Oxford University Press, 2009), pp203-215. Copyright 2009 Oxford University Press, Inc.
2. Heinberg, Richard, and Daniel Lerch. The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century's Sustainability Crises. Healdsburg, CA: Watershed Media, 2010. Print
3. Meadows, Donella. "Dancing With Systems." SI. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2002.
Vanessa Gregory
11/7/13
ENVST 2100-090
Cooperation, Is it Now or Never?
Fast forward to the year 2050 and imagine this. The global temperature has increased more than two degrees Celsius, which has caused the rate of glacier depletion to rapidly increase. More than nine billion people inhabit the planet and over seventy percent of these nine billion people live in cities. As more countries have industrialized, the number of cars being driven while releasing C02 into the atmosphere have skyrocketed. The “standard of living” has gone up, which means more energy per capita is being used. The usage of wind power has increased, but most of our energy is still produced by burning fossil fuels. These are just a few of the many changes that could take place in the world within the next thirty seven years. Now fast forward to 2050 and imagine something different. Some of the changes mentioned in the previous paragraph have still taken place, but not on such a large scale. More countries are living at the highest standard of living possible, while using the minimum amount of energy consumption that is needed. Instead of burning fossil fuels for energy, wind and solar power are our main sources of energy. We have taken steps to reduce population growth by increasing education globally. The increase of education has developed a population that is more environmentally aware and responsible. The world’s population has still grown, but technology has allowed us to develop more sustainable transportation systems, which helps manage the masses efficiently. Wouldn’t that be great?
Doctors David Chapman, Steve Burian and Harvey Miller research social and ecological issues that the world is currently facing, and will increasingly face if environmental changes are not made in the future. The three discuss issues such as sustainability, population, time scales, urban water systems and mobility, just to name a few. What can be drawn from the following readings is the idea of cooperation. The world is comprised of many individuals that are capable of making miraculous changes, if only we all work together to make it happen. Thus, having a world similar to the one described in the second paragraph opposed to the first is not impossible, but it will take hard work, innovation and most of all: Cooperation.
In Chapter One David Chapman presents us with what he believes are the main concepts we need to deal with. These being sustainability, time scales and population. Chapman reinforces throughout his writing that the time is now, and science is settled enough for us to take action and make changes based on what we know. We can no longer deny that global warming is an actual “thing.” Reality is that climate change and global warming are occurring, and they are manmade. Chapman discusses the three causes of global warming, (solar effects, humanity, and greenhouse effects.) From there he presents positive solutions to help alleviate the sustainability, time scale and population problems we are facing. Ranging from the future of wind and solar power to increased education to manage population growth, Chapman leaves us with solutions that may be possible to achieve if we collectively take responsibility and “vote for our future.”
Chapter Two introduces Steve Burian, a civil and environmental engineer whose expertise is in sustainable water systems. Burian raises the question, how do we create urban water systems that are resilient to climate change and to population growth? As urban impacts on the water cycle continues to cause erosion, damage to ecosystems, and many other problems our need for sustainable water systems is increasing. A huge issue is that we have developed infrastructures and institutions that are independent from one another. Burian emphasizes that in order to produce beneficial outcomes and increase sustainability, we must get the subsystems to work together to form a cohesive unit. This is difficult because the natural systems were once functioning efficiently and then we urbanized and made cities, which altered the natural systems and caused them to not work. We may be far from a world functioning on sustainable urban water systems, but in order to increase efficiency and minimize decreased biological richness and negative impacts to public health, we must start somewhere. In addition, Steve Burian notes that this does not only entail cooperation from governments or big businesses to help build these sustainable water systems, but individual responsibility for how we use the systems will be crucial in order to be more waste efficient.
Last but not least Harvey Miller discusses geographic information systems. With population increasing and more parts of the world becoming wealthier, this leads to an increase in automobile mobilization. Thus, Miller believes that the need for cooperative transportation systems in the future will be crucial. As he explains, computer methods of collecting geographic data, then sorting, mapping, and analyzing this information can be used to track human mobility patterns. Miller raises the point that this consumption of “big data” will be useful for building more sustainable, livable communities as well as sustainable transportation that will be necessary with future population growth. Miller relents that although humanity is facing collective failures such as mobility, some of these failures can be resolved through cooperative behavior. Through these means of big data such as social media and apps, likeminded people with shared interests have the ability to group form, coordinate and produce better collective outcomes. As David Orr states, “if, for a moment, you get very quiet...you can feel the transformation going on in the neighborhoods, towns, and cities all over the United States. It has grown into a worldwide movement that rejects the idea that we are fated to end the human experiment with a bang or a whimper on a scorched and barren Earth. It is the sound of humankind growing to a fuller stature-a transformation just in time.” This is the kind of transformation that Chapman, Burian, Miller and thousands of other individuals concerned with the future of the planet want to see. Throughout the book the three authors discuss many pressing environmental problems that our world is currently facing because they realize that it is crucial to inform people of our environmental situation, so action can be taken sooner rather than later.
Although reading about these issues can be depressing, the information presented is not intended to instill a sense of hopelessness in the reader, but rather create a sense of urgency. We are capable of cultivating sustainable outcomes and tackling these hard pressing environmental issues if we cooperate, and work together. As Donella Meadows said in her piece ‘Dancing with Systems,’ “We can’t control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them!” We may not know everything about the earth or be able to predict our future to a tee, but we know enough to take action and help alleviate some of these problems before they get worse. So lets dance.
Works Cited
1. David Orr, Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (New York Oxford University Press, 2009), pp203-215. Copyright 2009 Oxford University Press, Inc.
2. Heinberg, Richard, and Daniel Lerch. The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century's Sustainability Crises. Healdsburg, CA: Watershed Media, 2010. Print
3. Meadows, Donella. "Dancing With Systems." SI. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2002.
2) Poss-abilities adventures
'Rock and roll your world"
Memo to: Eric Legg Chairman of the Board, Poss-Abilities Adventures
From: Vanessa Gregory, Executive Director, Poss-Abilities Adventures
Date: December 16th, 2014
Subject: Preparation, Review and Approval
Eric, I completely agree with your statement, “A well prepared budget helps our organization estimate revenues and expenditures for upcoming fiscal years as well as identify potential sources of new funding,” that you wrote in your prior memo. I believe I have come up with a new budget that is practical and will benefit Poss-Abilities Aventures. I have added several new programs for the next fiscal year, which evokes our mission to a tee.
Let me summarize and explain the adjustments I have made to the budget for the upcoming year. First off, pertaining to revenue I have added a new Art Program for the schools in Salt Lake Valley. This art program will begin by taking place at Arc and Bro Elementary Schools. With the amount of success we have had with out other programs in Arc and Bro Elementary, I believe the Art Programs will generate a good amount of revenue for our organizations. I have included a new sports program, starting with both swimming and tennis programs. I suggest that we conduct these programs for Salt Lake City Parks and Recreations, (estimating $131,500 in revenue,) U.S Paralympics program, (estimating $81,900 in revenue.) Like I mentioned with the Art Programs previously, based on our revenue made from other programs and our high customer satisfaction rating, we should generate great profits from these new programs.
Taking a look at our expenditures budget, in some areas we have reduced our spending, while other areas increased. As a result of the creation of the new programs, I have added four new bus drivers on top of our eight, resulting in twelve total. Salaries and wages are going to rise by 5.5% in 2014, which brought our expenditures up quite a bit. However, I cut out a thousand dollars in bonuses by negating the intern bonuses. Last year the satisfaction rate for the interns was not high, so therefore we cut the bonus funds for them, saving a thousand dollars. I have allocated ten thousand dollars to 2340, (Public Relations and Community Events,) because our new programs will result in hosting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, synchronized swimming performances, etc. In addition, I raised our Publications/AdvertisingExpenditures by five thousand dollars to put money towards promotion for our new programs. Retrofitting the buses and vans to meet ADA requirements was a huge expense, especially for our programs. I project that $59,775 will be needed to retrofit the buses and vans.
Under “Charges” 4600, I project that we will need $50,000 in he next year to conduct our swimming and tennis programs. As we do not have a pool or tennis courts at our facility, we will need to pay to hold weekly programs at the local community pool/tennis courts, or at a private facility. Lastly I have increased or expenditures for section 5120, (Furniture, equipment, etc,) from approximately nine thousand dollars to about twenty three thousand. New furniture for the office must be purchased, which will total about eight thousand, and equipment for our tennis, art and swimming programs must also be bought.
Thus, this budget presents a reasonable, yet positive future in year 2014 for Poss-Abilities Adventures. The budget allows Poss-Abilities Adventures to increase the amount of programs it offers, enabling revenue to be generated. The net income is planned to increase by 11.65 percent, which I am sure you will be thrilled to hear. Attached to this memo is an excel spreadsheet with the budget for the upcoming year. Please take a look and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Gregory
From: Vanessa Gregory, Executive Director, Poss-Abilities Adventures
Date: December 16th, 2014
Subject: Preparation, Review and Approval
Eric, I completely agree with your statement, “A well prepared budget helps our organization estimate revenues and expenditures for upcoming fiscal years as well as identify potential sources of new funding,” that you wrote in your prior memo. I believe I have come up with a new budget that is practical and will benefit Poss-Abilities Aventures. I have added several new programs for the next fiscal year, which evokes our mission to a tee.
Let me summarize and explain the adjustments I have made to the budget for the upcoming year. First off, pertaining to revenue I have added a new Art Program for the schools in Salt Lake Valley. This art program will begin by taking place at Arc and Bro Elementary Schools. With the amount of success we have had with out other programs in Arc and Bro Elementary, I believe the Art Programs will generate a good amount of revenue for our organizations. I have included a new sports program, starting with both swimming and tennis programs. I suggest that we conduct these programs for Salt Lake City Parks and Recreations, (estimating $131,500 in revenue,) U.S Paralympics program, (estimating $81,900 in revenue.) Like I mentioned with the Art Programs previously, based on our revenue made from other programs and our high customer satisfaction rating, we should generate great profits from these new programs.
Taking a look at our expenditures budget, in some areas we have reduced our spending, while other areas increased. As a result of the creation of the new programs, I have added four new bus drivers on top of our eight, resulting in twelve total. Salaries and wages are going to rise by 5.5% in 2014, which brought our expenditures up quite a bit. However, I cut out a thousand dollars in bonuses by negating the intern bonuses. Last year the satisfaction rate for the interns was not high, so therefore we cut the bonus funds for them, saving a thousand dollars. I have allocated ten thousand dollars to 2340, (Public Relations and Community Events,) because our new programs will result in hosting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, synchronized swimming performances, etc. In addition, I raised our Publications/AdvertisingExpenditures by five thousand dollars to put money towards promotion for our new programs. Retrofitting the buses and vans to meet ADA requirements was a huge expense, especially for our programs. I project that $59,775 will be needed to retrofit the buses and vans.
Under “Charges” 4600, I project that we will need $50,000 in he next year to conduct our swimming and tennis programs. As we do not have a pool or tennis courts at our facility, we will need to pay to hold weekly programs at the local community pool/tennis courts, or at a private facility. Lastly I have increased or expenditures for section 5120, (Furniture, equipment, etc,) from approximately nine thousand dollars to about twenty three thousand. New furniture for the office must be purchased, which will total about eight thousand, and equipment for our tennis, art and swimming programs must also be bought.
Thus, this budget presents a reasonable, yet positive future in year 2014 for Poss-Abilities Adventures. The budget allows Poss-Abilities Adventures to increase the amount of programs it offers, enabling revenue to be generated. The net income is planned to increase by 11.65 percent, which I am sure you will be thrilled to hear. Attached to this memo is an excel spreadsheet with the budget for the upcoming year. Please take a look and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Gregory
3) This assignment was our final project in Entrepreneurial Recreation. The following shows various pages of our company’s website, “backcountryurts.weebly.com”
4) The following are screen shots of the website I created for my final project in Group/Travel Management.
about the artifacts
1. This is an essay titled “Cooperation, Is It Now or Never,” I wrote for my Intro to Environmental and Sustainability Studies class. We were instructed to write an essay discussing environmental and sustainability issues using a compilation of talks and pieces by various professionals in the Environmental Science industry.
a) I included this piece because I am very proud of it, and think it is one of the best essays I have written thus far.
b) The main function and purpose of this essay is to discuss environmental and sustainability issues and possible solutions.
c) I used reading comprehension, analysis and writing skills to write this essay.
2. This is the final budget assignment we created for Financial Management. The assignment was to create a line item budget that achieved the branch objectives, and balancing both sides of the budget when monetary changes were made.
a) I included this piece because this was a really tough assignment for me, and I learned a lot about finances by completing it.
b) The assignments main purpose was to teach us how to efficiently balance a budget.
c) Proficient math, writing and excel skills were used to complete this assignment.
3. The following assignment was created as our final project during Entrepreneurial Recreation. I, along with my partners created a company called “Backcountry Yurts” and subsequently created a product, website, finance and marketing plan in order to pitch our product to potential investors.
a) I included this piece because not only did I learn a lot about creating a company throughout the project, but it was also fun!
b) The purpose of this assignment was to teach us about what is involved in starting a business.
c) I used a wide variety of skills throughout this product such as teamwork, communication, writing, verbal and mathematical.
4. As our final project for Group/Travel Management we created, planned, priced and presented a trip of our choice. I created a biking beer tour in Belgium called, “Belgium’s best.”
a) I included this because it was a really creative project that I thoroughly enjoyed.
b) The purpose of this assignment was to teach us how to time, price and plan a group tour efficiently.
c) Skills that I used to complete this project included writing, verbal, artistic and mathematical.
a) I included this piece because I am very proud of it, and think it is one of the best essays I have written thus far.
b) The main function and purpose of this essay is to discuss environmental and sustainability issues and possible solutions.
c) I used reading comprehension, analysis and writing skills to write this essay.
2. This is the final budget assignment we created for Financial Management. The assignment was to create a line item budget that achieved the branch objectives, and balancing both sides of the budget when monetary changes were made.
a) I included this piece because this was a really tough assignment for me, and I learned a lot about finances by completing it.
b) The assignments main purpose was to teach us how to efficiently balance a budget.
c) Proficient math, writing and excel skills were used to complete this assignment.
3. The following assignment was created as our final project during Entrepreneurial Recreation. I, along with my partners created a company called “Backcountry Yurts” and subsequently created a product, website, finance and marketing plan in order to pitch our product to potential investors.
a) I included this piece because not only did I learn a lot about creating a company throughout the project, but it was also fun!
b) The purpose of this assignment was to teach us about what is involved in starting a business.
c) I used a wide variety of skills throughout this product such as teamwork, communication, writing, verbal and mathematical.
4. As our final project for Group/Travel Management we created, planned, priced and presented a trip of our choice. I created a biking beer tour in Belgium called, “Belgium’s best.”
a) I included this because it was a really creative project that I thoroughly enjoyed.
b) The purpose of this assignment was to teach us how to time, price and plan a group tour efficiently.
c) Skills that I used to complete this project included writing, verbal, artistic and mathematical.