The PodCast Link! - Go here to get in on the podcast scripting, recording and production. For podcast tools, check out OtherTools!

ResponseAbilities - What does this class ask of me?

LinkPile - Put links to be sorted and managed here

Book2Buy -The books you need to buy or borrow for the course

Muzik Shqip

OtherTools - Tools for multimedia composition

Click here to get started - Student Blogs and Projects Grow here

Other MobiusEd Wikis

Bildekor/a>

Fönsterdekor/a>

Väggdekoration/a>

Bildekor/a>

Dekor/a>

Here we begin a draft of a proposal to the Public Media Service Study Group:
FootPrint

~#~ Gathering documentary-style video footage of a sustainable life. ~#~

Where can we chart a counternarrative to today's sprawling, unsustainable development? Who can descibe a path out of our wasteful and dangerous habits? It is the place where the technology and viion of sustainability meet, where they are inhabited by a community who wants not only to enact the principles of sustainability but also to spread the example that they've set. Spreading these Econauts' example is not a simple task: many groups that have tried inoculating society with the message of sustainability have achieved only a modicum of success. Average gas mileage hasn't changed in almost 25 years, and renewable energy sources are still only considered by many a luxury. The Center for Sustainability is a place and community that has already impressed and endeared many individuals and groups at Penn State and in State College.

The Center for Sustainability contains a minifarm, facilities for naturally processing human fecal waste, collecting rain, generating electricity from renewable solar and wind power, connecting to the Internet, and cooking & storing food. In other words, it is an off-the-grid homestead that hovers on the verge of producing an Ecological Footprint of 4.5 acres. What has it taken in order to reach this incredible 'point' of sustainability, this clearing of ecological consciousness and conscientious action? The recent success of ecologically-themed films and documentaries (March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth, The Day After Tomorrow) indicates that the public finds the environment not only educating, but entertaining and meaningful, especially when displayed in the media format of video. A newsreel, or documentary style movie about the Center for Sustainability's resident will grab the attention of those who come across it in a unique way. It will not be an apocalyptic fantasy. It will not be a wildlife special on the Savannah. It will not be a SuperSize Me Reality TV show. It will somehow refer to each of these genres, while achieving something constructive and narrative that those who view it can take with them and use.

Another part of the appeal of a documentary project at the Center is that it will expose the process, the learning curve, of someone actually practicing sustainability. What will be most interesting is how the Econaut's perspective and concept of life and self evolve during the course of the project. The filmwork will also unveil to many the perks of a ready-to-use sustainable homestead. In this way it will stand in contrast to the previous footage recorded there, which captured the austere trailblazing of the first resident's building efforts. Neither documentation should be overly saccharine, and they succeed when they genuinely depict what a challenging and rewarding experience this exploration provides. There are extension projects to follow during this time, such as: a premier off-the-grid EGG (Electrogaiagram, from PEAR laboratories), a Composting/Food Waste outreach potentiality with the Penn State Student Union Building (HUB), Ethical discourse generated in association with Penn State's Rock Ethics Institute, and the development of more centrally accessible web resources for individuals in and around Penn State who are looking for sustainability & ecological connections here.