Conserving Our Guilt The fallacy of composition

The things we want add up to the things we don’t want.The Fallacy of Composition States:

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.

• Perspective: How do we justify our actions?

• The problem with conspicuous good citizenship.

• Identity: Who are we in this biosphere?

Project Impact

Not conservation but lifestyle changes

based on proper view.

Project Outcomes

• Critical Thinkerswithhold judgment

• Difference Makersarticulate issues

• Change Catalystsvisionize others

by Dallas McPheetersInstructional Tech Liaison

dallasm@mac.com

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.

References