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\centerline{MONT 104N -- Modeling the Environment}
\centerline{Second Writing Assignment}
\centerline{{\bf Due:}  No later than 5:00pm on Friday, November 22}
\centerline{November 14, 2019}
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\noindent
{\it Background}
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As you all should be aware from various comments by Prof. Reents at
Natural World Cluster events and from me in class, we are planning for 
our seminar to be participating this coming spring in a cluster-wide {\it Earth 
Lab Project}.  The Natural World Cluster faculty are thinking of 
this as a way to:
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\item{$\bullet$} highlight the ongoing climate crisis,
\item{$\bullet$} educate the Holy Cross community about the issues
involved,
\item{$\bullet$} continue the work begun by the College administration
and staff to address these issues in concrete ways on campus, and 
\item{$\bullet$} (possibly) to join in actions by local groups to
address these issues in the wider Worcester community (or even more widely).
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{\it Nothing quite like this has ever been tried before as a cluster-wide
project in the Montserrat program}.  This means that we are all 
in unfamiliar territory and we will all need to ``buy into'' the idea
to make this a successful effort(!)  It will require a significant
commitment of class time, a rethinking of the assignments for the 
courses in the spring, and certainly a great deal of flexibility
and improvisation as the spring semester progresses.  
But, based on our reading of {\it The Uninhabitable Earth},
the Natural World Cluster faculty is convinced that 
the time is now to try this because of the seriousness of the situation
and the need to get people thinking and acting
to address it.
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We are currently thinking that our first activity in the spring 
(immediately after we return from the semester break) will involve 
an ``audit'' of the use of various resources by the residents of 
Brooks-Mulledy--things such as:
\item{$\bullet$} water usage for toilets, showers, etc.
\item{$\bullet$} total travel by individuals, teams, etc.  
\item{$\bullet$} total energy usage for heating, lighting, 
electronics, etc.  
\item{$\bullet$} total generation of trash and other waste
from food packaging, drink containers, waste paper, etc.
\item{$\bullet$} total energy cost of the food consumed by 
residents based on dietary choices, etc.
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The goal there will be simply to get a clearer picture of how
we are using resources and what our total carbon footprint is.  
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When we have gathered and analyzed the results, then we will try to 
identify whether things can or should be changed, what we
can agree to, and what we might want to propose to the campus
and the administration.   It seems natural to me that, given the topics
our class has studied and will study in the spring, one clear 
role for us would be to lead in analyzing the data 
collected by the ``audit'' mentioned above.   
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As I said above, we will all need to ``buy into'' this idea 
to make it work, and for that reason, I am asking you in this
writing assignment to reflect on the following questions 
and to share your ideas for what {\it you want} this project
to accomplish.  It might seem contradictory, but I want
you both to ``dream big'' and to be hard-headed (i.e. realistic).
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\item{(1)} First and maybe most importantly, {\it are you willing
to commit to this ``Earth Lab'' Natural World Cluster common project idea}?  
Granted, a lot of the specifics of what that will mean are not clear 
yet.  However, it's important to know this now, because unless 
you are willing to participate, then there's not too much point
in continuing to plan and develop ideas.  {\it This would not
be just another meaningless assignment for a class that has no 
connection with your real life!}
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\noindent
If your answer to (1) is ``no,'' then the assignment is to 
write an essay of about 3 pages to explain your reaction
and to criticize the ideas presented above.  If you want to 
pursue this option, I would suggest that you think of your 
essay as an attempt to convince others that this is a bad idea
by mounting the best arguments you can.  That is, don't just
say ``this is a stupid idea'' -- say specifically why you 
think it is stupid and try to convince the reader that 
they should think it is stupid too by presenting a well-reasoned
argument backed up by appropriate evidence!  You can use 
any evidence you want, but as always, document your sources.   
The ``they say, I say'' model would be extremely appropriate 
for this.  
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On the other hand, if your answer to (1) is ``yes,'' your 
essay (again about 3 pages) should be based around answers to 
these questions:
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\item{(2)}  {\it Why} do you think this is a potentially
interesting or valuable thing to do in our class (and with
the other seminars in the Natural World Cluster in Montserrat) 
this coming spring?
\item{(3)}  Are there other aspects of 
our environmental impact
should we be considering rather than or besides the ones 
listed above as the targets of our initial ``audit''?
\item{(4)}  If you attended the Sunrise Movement presentation
on November 13, what do you think about their model of 
mass political action by young people to address climate
change?  Can or should we do something like that or participate
in their actions as part of this project?
\item{(5)} What sorts of public activities might the 
{\it Earth Lab} project lead to?  For instance, there
is an annual Academic Conference held at Holy Cross
toward the end of the spring semester 
where results of student research carried out
in that academic year are presented.  This
will occur on April 22 this year. Coincidentally, 
this is Earth Day, and the date of one of the upcoming
Climate Strikes(!)  Can we work toward a presentation 
at the Conference and/or an activity coordinated with
that campus event?    
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{\it General points}
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You should aim for a lively style and the 
writing should be in your own voice.  Make your essay something
{\it you want other people to read}.  On the other hand, please
think twice before using extremely colloquial ways of saying things.
If they contribute to the point you are trying to make, that is fine.  
But do it for a reason.   Your sentences should be clear, readable, and
not overly wordy.
Also, {\it please do not use a thesaurus to find impressive-sounding words} 
when simpler alternatives are available.
Errors in mechanics (spelling, punctuation, grammar) and usage should 
not annoy the reader. Try as much as possible to 
avoid those mistakes.
\bye
