Conserving Our Guilt The fallacy of composition
The Fallacy of Composition States: The things we want add up to the things we don’t want.
By setting aside protected land, we say in effect, “It’s ok to be wasteful elsewhere.”
•365 acres/hour – the rate of urban sprawl •30,000 ads – seen before 1st grade •Consumerism – the new citizenship •To get what you want – buy something •World’s 7th largest economy – California •Largest manmade structure – NY Landfill •Humans exploit what they value and defend what they love.
The problem isn’t what we do. It’s how we live.
Project Impact • Perspective: How do we justify our actions? • The problem with conspicuous good citizenship. • Identity: Who are we in this biosphere?
Not conservation but lifestyle changes based on proper view.
Project Outcomes • Critical Thinkers withhold judgment • Difference Makers articulate issues • Change Catalysts visionize others by Dallas McPheeters Instructional Tech Liaison dallasm@mac.com
References
Based on William Ashworth’s “The Left Hand of Eden: Meditations on Nature and Human Nature,” (1999), Oregon State University Press in Corvallis. & Peter Forbes’ “The Great Remembering,” (2001), Chelsea Green Publishing, VT.