Names _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

Discussion in small groups about the role of culture in sustainability (Sept. 10, 2007)

Purposes of this activity:

• understanding the relationship between culture and sustainability
• English practice
• review

I. Get into these groups. You need a pencil and a dictionary.

• Mai, Anna, Shinichi, Narumi
• Miho, Masashi, Risa, Maiko
• Eri, Ikumi, Akira
• Sayuri, Satomi, Kazumasa
• Keisuke, Ritsuko, Chiaki
• Shota, Takanori, Yasuhiro

II. Choose

• a good leader
• a recorder (who takes notes)
• a reporter who will explain your answers to the class

III. Discuss this question and agree on a definition. Have the recorder take brief notes. (Use the syllabus if you have NO idea.)

What does "sustainability" mean with regard to society, the environment, and the economy? (These three things all go together.) BE CLEAR. DON'T BE TOO BRIEF.

 

 

 

IV. IV. Read these statements aloud (take turns).

• Culture is our beliefs (what is true or not true), values (what is good or bad), and behaviors (how we act).
• The condition of planet Earth now is a result of culture (what we believed, what we valued, and how we behaved).
• The future will be determined also by our culture, as well as geography and history.

V. Now, using ideas of your own and from the exercise we did in class on Friday (Japan and the U.S.: geography, history, culture), discuss these questions and take notes:

• WHY do you think the United States has about 5% of the world population but uses somewhere between 25% and 45% of the world's energy? (We need to change this to have a sustainable future, especially because the rest of the world is copying the U.S.! First we have to understand why the U.S. uses so much energy.
• Be prepared to explain your answers to the class!

Geography

Example: The U.S. has many natural resources, so they waste them.

Another idea:

 

History

Example: Japan was devastated by World War II, so many people in the 1950s learned to live with very little food, energy, etc. They passed this frugality on to their children and grandchildren.

Another idea:

 

Culture

Example: The U.S. has a heterogeneous population, so it might be harder for everyone to agree on how to plan for a sustainable future.

Example: Personal freedom is very important in the U.S., so some people continue to do whatever they want to do even if it wastes energy and resources.

Another idea:

 

Another idea:

 

Another idea:

 

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