Carnegie Council announces the results of its 2011 International Student/Teacher Essay Competition, "Making a Difference." Winners are from Nepal, India, the UK, and the U.S.A., with honorable mentions for essays from the U.S.A. and Kenya.
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Jeff Jarvis,
Joanne J. Myers
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02/07/12
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Well-known blogger Jeff Jarvis celebrates what he calls the "emerging age of publicness," arguing that anything we have to fear in this new networked world is overwhelmingly outweighed by all the good that will come from it.
We've developed an understanding of "sustainability" that indicates that we can "switch" to something else and be okay, but the hard truth that no politician and very few environmentalists want to say is that merely "switching" may not be enough.
Third world countries pose a unique challenge; how to keep up with the world's environmental changes while still taking care of people living below the poverty level. They should embrace policies that focus on the average citizen and study the effects on the community as a whole.
Sustainability is often associated with exclusively material concepts. Yet it's crucial to note that sustainability plays a critical role in relationships. The actual subject in debate is not sustaining our resources, but sustaining our relationship with Mother Nature.
"What is an ecologically sustainable community? How do we facilitate the evolution of such communities? Can we bring the mass of our consumer culture-driven population to a tribal-like level of sustainability?" Focusing on rural India, the authors give examples of sustainability in action.
Our conventional understanding of sustainability usually puts human needs first. What is needed is a balancing test that will consider a wider range of factors, and that encompasses the intrinsic value of the environment, regardless of any practical benefits to human beings.
"It is through our actions and our efforts, where large or small, that we can bring about a change in the attitudes of those around us in ensuring sustainability," says Akrish, from Kathmandu.
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