Special Topics Syllabus: Bioneers Sustainability Conference
October19-21, 2007

Professor: Lynne H. Goodhart
Utah State University
Logan, Utah 84322-5249
lynne.goodhart@comcast.net; 435-752-7581 - Consultation by appointment

Registration for Credit

Students in regular matriculated programs on campus: For 1 credit, register for: ENVS 4950 - SEC 002, CRN 53958. For two credits, sign up for: ENVS 6900 - SEC 001, CRN 43366. You must go through registrar's office by submitting a Course Add/Drop form. Course Add/Drop forms are available there or from the instructor, Lynne Goodhart, at conference, or before the conference in Natural Resources Rm. 201. Description of work follows. One additional credit may be earned with approval of supervising instructor, Dr. Lynne Goodhart. Please note: If you are registering after September 18th, you must fill out a Petition for Late Add form, available in NR 201.

For Professional Credit (or attendees with undergrad degree, non matriculated) Extension registration. Must pay recording fee, $15 per credit. For one credit, register for: ENVS 4950 sec code L02, CRN 43367 (course reference or index number). For two or three credits, sign up for: ENVS 6900 sec code L01 2 (or 3) CR , CRN 53959. Description of work follows. Course approval forms available from instructor, Lynne Goodhart, at conference.

Introduction
The Bioneers Conference assembles annually leading social and scientific innovators to share visionary and practical solutions for restoring the Earth. With its focus on tangible strategies and multidisciplinary programming, the conference provides scientists, farmers, educators, policy makers, professionals, students and concerned citizens the unique opportunity to share information, cross-pollinate ideas, and forge new alliances and contacts. By promoting interdisciplinary approaches and featuring a high caliber of speakers, the Bioneers Conference has achieved renown as one of the nation's foremost environmental gatherings. Utah State University is honored to be one of the 21 sites around the country to host Bioneers.

Purpose of Course The purpose of this conference is to communicate practical and visionary solutions for our most pressing environmental and social challenges.

Goals/Objectives
(1) To engage and catalyze community, teachers, and student leaders.
(2) To equip conference participants with the tools and resources to meet our most pressing environmental and social challenges.
(3) To connect with the community and its environmental and social issues
(4) To provide inspiration and education geared to taking action and catalyzing wider citizen participation.
(5) To promote a more just, humane, and authentically sustainable society.
(6) To promote the restoration of our imperiled ecosystems.

Course Description
Presentations, assignments, and student activities are planned to promote sustainable living. Students will be given information and assignments that allow them to integrate all of the parts of the course into their own idea of what sustainable living means to them. Along with the concepts, ideas, and opinions about different aspects of sustainable living, this course will guide students toward a sustainable way of life.

Learning Outcomes
Increased knowledge and understanding of practical solutions for restoring the Earth and people, and why it is important to have a humane and sustainable society. Appreciation of human beings' capacity to change and reinvent our culture very rapidly.

As a result of the conference activities, participants will be given the opportunity to develop skills and abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, and practical skills that can be applied to their individual lives.

Topics Covered in Conference

Keynote Speakers

Cheryl Charles, President, Children and Nature Network: "The Ecology of Hope: Building a Movement to Reconnect Children and Nature"

Plenary Speakers

Friday

Jay Harman - Designing the Next Golden Age: A Progress Report

Judith F. Baca - The Interactive Digital Mural: A Tool for Social Reconciliation from the Local to the Global

Judy Wicks - Local Living Economies: Green, Fair and Fun

John Abrams - Thinking Like Cathedral Builders

Van Jones - Toward a Green Growth Alliance: Birthing a New Politics

Saturday:

Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D. - Green Chemistry: From Here to Sustainability

Majora Carter - Green the Ghetto

Evon Peter - An Indigenous Perspective on How to Survive the Next Hundred Years

Eve Ensler - V to the 10th

Edward Tick, Ph.D. - Return of the Ghost Dancers: Modern War's Devastation...and Healing

Sunday:

Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D. - A Brave New Ocean, or an Ocean Revolution?

Carol Bebelle (a.k.a. Akua Wambui) - Culture and Re-building... Re-membering New Orleans / Re-weaving its Social and Cultural Fabric

Charlotte Brody - The Sea Around Us, The Environment in Us

Winona LaDuke - Seeds the Creator Gave Us

Ka Hsaw Wa & KATIE REDFORD - Earth Rights: Linking Human Rights and Environmental Struggles in the Age of Globalization

Local Workshops

Session One: Friday, 2:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Cheryl Charles: "Children and Nature Network Resources"

Other Sessions: ( times and rooms available Aug 15)

1. Economy or Environment? Rural conflict over a coal-fired power plant

The presenters conducted a community study in a rural area facing a proposed coal-fired power plant. This session will focus on social network analysis and mapping as tools to better understand how communities respond to controversial environmental issues.

Presenters: John C. Allen, Ph.D., Susan E. Dawson, Ph.D., Gary E. Madsen, Ph.D., and Chih-Yao Chang, Sociology Doctoral Student. Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

2.Renaissance: Geothermal Energy for Northern Utah

This presentation offers a look at the Renaissance resource of Utah, located between Brigham City and Honeyville, the history of its discovery, the amount of electricity this geothermal resource is expected to produce, and for how long, and its various potential byproducts, such as chemicals, heat for processing and greenhousing, water for aquaculture, and chemicals. It will also offer a non-technical overview of what geothermal deposits are, where they occur, why they occur, and their power potential for the United States. Various kinds of temperatures, gasses, fluids and fluid chemistries that can be produced from geothermal deposits will be examined, together with today's technologies for turning geothermal gasses and fluids into useful products, including space heat, generation of electricity and chemicals, plus fresh water. Presenter: Dr. Carl F. Austin,

3.Healthy Children, Healthy Planet: The Great Basin Earth Institute curriculum

In a day and age when materialism and media have a large impact on our youth, parents and other adults need support in helping to steer young people into more meaningful activities that promote a love of nature and support of our earth. This session presents materials from the Great Basin Earth Institute course Helping parents and teachers to guide children on a variety of topics, including Cultural pressures, food and health, and exploring nature. The overall goal of the course is to "motivate individuals to examine and transform personal values and habits, to accept responsibility for the earth, and to act on that commitment."

Presenter: Marianne Christian

4. Sustainable Energy Solutions for Utah and You

Are you concerned about air quality, global warming, and energy security? Do you want to know what you can do to make a difference? Utah Clean Energy will discuss the current energy situation in Utah and the nation and explore simple ways for individuals to be part of the solution through support of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean energy technologies.

Presenter: Sara Baldwin.

5. Cache Valley and Global Warming

Earth is warming. Human-related greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause; consequences already emerging will likely prove severe by mid-century unless significant emissions reductions are realized in the next decade. This workshop examines emerging national and local strategies to address these realities. In particular, we'll review efforts underway in Cache Valley initiated and supported by local government and industry alike.

Presenter: Robert Davies

6. Wintertime Air Particulate Exposure and Lung Function in Cache Valley Children: Results of the Greenville Elementary Asthma Study

This presentation offers a brief overview of particulate air pollution in Cache Valley together with a brief review of known health effects of air particulates (PM2.5) An overview of the Greenville Asthma Study with its methods and results, will be featured, together with interpretation of the results, and recommendations for action based on those results.

Presenter: Dr. Edward H. Redd, MD

7. The Aftermath of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on Swift Packing Co. employees in Hyrum, Utah.

Where are the workers now? What was the impact on their families and their individual lives? Was the raid necessary and was it done appropriately? How did Cache Valley respond to this crisis? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by those who were directly involved with families and individuals whose lives were sent into turmoil by last December's ICE raid on the Swift (Miller's) Meat Packing Co.

Presenters: Leo Bravo, Peggy Chanson, Ann Maes and Dean Quayle

8. Utah's Ecological Footprint: Are We Living Sustainably in Utah?

Are we succeeding in presenving our natural heritage in Utah? How do we measure whether we are living within our means? One indicator is the Ecological Footprint, an internationally standardized ecological accounting tool that measures the balance of human consumptive demand versus supply of biological capacity. The results are given in terms of land required and land available per person. Utah Vital Signs, a project of the Utah Population and Environment Coalition, has calculated the ecological footprint of Utah. In this presentation, we will show how big Utah's footprint is, how it has grown since 1990, and how our sustainability compares with that of the U.S. and the Earth. We will then highlight some challenges and choices Utahns face for creating a sustainable future in our state.

Presenter: Sandra McIntyre, MEd Project Director, Utah Vital Signs

9. The Future of Water in Cache County and along the Wasatch Front:

This workshop will present information on our water resources in Cache Valley, the legalities, best available science on quantity and quality for surface and subsurface water, how we can conserve it and protect our interests, what the future may hold in a changing political climate and global warming scenarios, and the bigger picture- where are Northern Utah and the Wasatch front headed?

Presenters: Ann Peralta, Amy Defreese

10. No Child Left Inside

With the passing of "No Child Left Behind" legislation educators have been under increased pressure to raise student test scores. Two Cache Valley educators,Wendy Hellstern and Eric Newell, share their insights and experiences on the value of getting kids out of the classroom and under the sky to learn. Eric and Wendy will discuss resources they tap and creative ways they overcome obstacles to plan and carry out effective field instruction. Find out why they believe what kids today need is a little less seat time and a little more sunshine, and how they make it happen.

Presenters: Eric Newell and Wendy Hellstern

11. The New Cache County-Wide Trail and Parkway Master Plan

Since 2005, Cache County has been working to integrate multiple community plans and concepts for trails, bike routes, parks, and open space preservation into a single county-wide master plan. Stakeholders and Citizens can take local action by learning about opportunities and expressing support to elected officials, land owners, developers, utility companies, and public land agencies.

Presenter: Tim Watkins

12. Community Biodiesel Hits the Road

The Central Utah Biodiesel Project will offer a trailer-mounted demonstration of a biodiesel plant. This facility, an effective means of bringing appropriate technology education to farm, school and fair, will be exhibited in its technical and educational aspects. The presenters envisage many such units sponsored by other regions "hitting the road", as the desirability of distributed, sustainable farm energy becomes more apparent.

Presenters: D. Wendel, D. Drake, Boyd Beck, and S. Peterson

13. Sustainable Growth Management Tools: What's New and Being Used in Utah

Interest in more sustainable growth options for Utah communities continues to increase as our population continues to grow.? So what are the latest and greatest growth management tools being developed and used in Utah?? This session will review and discuss a variety of growth management tools that have been implemented recently in several Utah communities including open-space planning, critical lands planning and spatial growth modeling.

Presenters: Laura Ault and Christopher Sands

14. How Mass Transit Will Continue to Improve Cache Valley

This presentation will discuss some of the past successes of the Cache Valley Transit District and its impact on Cache Valley residents. It will also discuss current requests for service and plans to meet those requests. Finally the discussion will project possibilities for where mass transit in Cache Valley will be in 10 to 20 years. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and provide input.

Presenter: Todd Beutler

15. Biofuels at USU

Biofuels is a broad term encompassing many different types of products. Biofuel sources are equally diverse ranging from microbes to plant materials. Some technologies such as biogas production are established whereas others are awaiting development. The new Biofuels Initiative at Utah State University will be introduced as well as basic concepts of biofuel production.

Presenter: Anne Anderson

Assignments

For one credit, matriculated or professional:

Attend the whole conference, or a minimum of fifteen hours of presentations, dividing your time between national plenary speakers (about 60%) and local workshops. List sessions attended. In addition to attending the conference, write a two-to-three page double spaced response paper. You might include or list what you learned from plenaries and workshops: what new ideas, what new perspectives you gained. What were your favorite presentations, and why? If you did not agree with some perspectives, say why you hold another view. Teachers and professionals, include a brief indication of how the conference materials can be used in your work or your approach to work.

For two credits, professionals and graduates only: ( ENVS 6900 only)

In addition to the above, read Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Write a five page response paper including your brief resume of major points made in the book, and your response to them. Does the book contain important guidance for restoring the earth and living communities depending upon it? What struck you the most? What caused you to disagree? How can you use or apply the concepts presented?

For three credits, professionals and graduates only: (ENVS 6900 only)
Read Paul Hawken's book, Blessed Unrest ( 2007). Write a five-page response paper following instructions given above.

Due date for papers:

Papers are due December 1, 2007, and can be sent on email to lynne.goodhart@comcast.net, or mailed to Lynne H. Goodhart care of the Department of Environment and Society, College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5215.