Cross-Cultural Blog

In what is becoming a quarterly tradition, my Cultural Interfaces class is about to post its photo blogs (to use Carolyn Ross's term) on different aspects of Stanford Culture. To do so, they have been busy all weekend with their digital cameras, capturing moments of Stanford life to include as part of their visual argument.

I was thinking about this assignment all weekend, and decided to share my own insights on an aspect of Stanford culture: Stanford weekend life - the non-student edition. As a person who spends a fair amount of time at Stanford on weekend mornings, but never makes it quite past outer quad, I see a side of Stanford that many undergraduates probably are less aware of:

The weddings

The tourists

and, of course, the frisbee-catching dogs (even the short ones)

Stanford as a locale and community has a draw that transcends its role as an academic institution, one that makes it multi-versatile as a leisure and recreational space.

What I've written above would be a good starting point for one of my student group's exploration of Stanford culture. They have the added task of using both secondary AND primary sources in their photo blogs. I know that they'll be writing about four different Stanford cultures

- The Band
- Athletes
- International Students
- Late Night Studiers

I'm excited to see how they use their source material to collaborate in producing an effective visual-verbal argument.

Posted by Christine Alfano at 04:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In my Cultural Interfaces class today, we spent a lot of time today putting Danah Boyd's 2007 blog essay, "Viewing American Class Divisions through Facebook and MySpace," through a rigorous course of rhetorical analysis. Her argument is quite fascinating (if not controversial) in that it maps questions of class upon a discussion of the popular online social network sites Facebook and MySpace. Here's her summary of her argument:

Hegemonic American teens (i.e. middle/upper class, college bound teens from upwards mobile or well off families) are all on or switching to Facebook. Marginalized teens, teens from poorer or less educated backgrounds, subculturally-identified teens, and other non-hegemonic teens continue to be drawn to MySpace. A class division has emerged and it is playing out in the aesthetics, the kinds of advertising, and the policy decisions being made.

Our class discussion centered around the rhetoric she used in her argument, but we didn't have time to get to the heart of whether we actually were persuaded by her reasoning or not. So I'm posting this entry to invite discussion about whether readers found Boyd persuasive and in general about how and to what extent social networking sites -- as functioning online culture -- reflect, invite, or create differences in social class, ideology, privilege or demographics. An international perspective on the MySpace/Facebook/Social Network phenomenon would be welcome as well. How do international SNS (social networking sites) provide us with an additional context to understand Boyd's claims?

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this topic!

Posted by Christine Alfano at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

Refrence:www.aucegypt.edu
The American university in Cairo has built its new campus over an area of 260-acres of land. An international team of architects spent five years creating the campus which turned out to be a huge success. The design of the campus is a state of the art design which blends in with the natural surroundings (the desert) giving the campus its own unique atmosphere. In addition to that, the campus’ landscape contains vast recreational areas designed for sports . The heart of the campus contains the academic buildings where the learning takes place. The campus combines materials found in nature with architecture that blends in with the desert surroundings to create a place that is modern but could almost be an outgrowth of nature.
Amr Hisham

Posted by American University in Cairo at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Egypt as a developing country does not consider animal rights a priority. Last year the students of the American University in Cairo created a community service club that supports animal rights, by providing shelter, food , water and medical care to deprived animals. “Voice of Animals” club is also against malicious acts against animals. This club was the first of its kind in Egypt, and surprisingly it has gained lots of supporters. As more people become aware of this club Cairo animals are happier..

Marina Amin Labib Amin
Christine Fathi Ragheb Hanna
Roba Riad Mohamed Sadek Berikdar

First picture: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=404388980

Last Picture:
http://dl2.glitter-graphics.net/pub/918/918542elqep8jnqg.gif

Posted by American University in Cairo at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Pollution
Cairo is is the home of the pyramids, sunny weather and warm and openhearted people. Cairo has its charm and beauty, but one thing that certainly ruins its lively atmosphere is the pollution. Black rain drops, grey skies, its unbelievable! We know for a fact that there are around 1.5 million registered cars roaming our streets, many of them emitting big bushy black thick smoke! Another cause of pollution in Cairo is the burning of rice fields and garbage; all of this is mostly due to uneducated citizens who don't understand the consequences that relate to these issues. In our old AUC campus which was in the heart of downtown Cairo, we were surrounded by so much pollution you could literally see it in the air.
AUC has just moved to a new campus on the outskirts of Cairo where the sky is blue, the air is clean and nothing is dusty. There is always much less traffic so there is no noise and certainly no black fumes from the exhaust pipes.
Omar El Gamal
Fareeda Atwan
Marwan Roushdy

Posted by American University in Cairo at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Shores, deserts, corals, Nile River, agriculture, animal life. Where can you possibly find such a wild combination but Egypt? Each and every inch here in Egypt is different, representative of a certain culture or historical period, genuine, and capturing the oriental essence of the Arabs.

Nature in Egypt varies from coastal to rural and all the way to Saharan. The breathtaking scenery of Sinai, the spectacular colorful corals of the Red sea, the divine valleys and oasis of the western desert, the hot sunny shores of the Mediterranean, the exquisite river Nile, the authentic atmosphere of upper Egypt and the awesome nights of Cairo. That's what Egypt is all about,diversity. The photos which we've selected for this project show you a quick glimpse of the beauty that signifies Egypt. Each one represents a different part of Egyptian nature and culture all the while capturing the essence of Egypt's astounding beauty.

Four photos may not be enough to give a full image of Egyptian nature, but these photos should've at least communicated the diversity we're talking about. Hope you've enjoyed them.

Ahmed Hazem.
Amira Saied.
Aya Aboul Fotouh.

Posted by American University in Cairo at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

Every day at Stanford, thousands of students and other members of the community eat food provided by the university’s sixteen dining facilities. The food they prepare comes from all over California and the world. We were curious to investigate what green and sustainable dining entails and how it affects the community. In order to learn more about where the food we eat comes from, we spoke to several chefs in Stern Dining Hall, which serves six dorms. (For a video tour of the dining hall, go to www.circlepix.com/tour.htm?id=462676&refurl=) Chef Rudy Cordera, pictured below, proudly explained that many of the ingredients in the food he was serving were purchased locally and seasonally. We later discovered that Stanford’s dining facilities have won numerous national awards for their dedication to green and sustainable dining practices.

The dining halls are committed to not only providing many vegan, vegetarian, and organic choices at every meal, but also to sustainable, local food options. The typical meal above featured not only vegetarian and vegan dishes but also locally grown food. For example, the lentils and rice are vegetarian and the apple came from a local orchard. Some of the foods’ origins were more mysterious, however; the grains and dry goods (as seen in the storage room pictured below) were purchased wholesale from large companies that ship from many locations.

When meals are over, students compost food and paper products, which are reused to fertilize soil and grow more food, thereby reducing overall waste. A chef we spoke to also mentioned that in the kitchens, very little food is thrown away and most leftovers are “reinvented” into new dishes. Students from “SPOON,” an on-campus service organization, also transport uneaten food to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

Stanford works hard to satisfy the appetites of a variety of eaters, from vegetarians like Kate to meat-lovers like Simone and Anneliese. As one of the first dining halls certified as a green business, Stanford Dining is equally committed to seeking out sustainable sources of food. Bon appétit!

By Kate Erickson, Simone Haynesworth, and Anneliese Rice

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

How difficult is it to live in a place surrounded by toxic waste that is killing you little by little without knowing? Halaco is a metal recycling company, located at the end of Perkins Road in Oxnard, bordering Port Hueneme. Halaco disposed of waste products inappropriately for nearly forty years, thus contaminating the land and groundwater.

What can people do? The community of South Oxnard has been experiencing these problems and nothing has been done to clean this Halaco site. In 2004, the company filed for bankruptcy, thus avoiding any responsibility for cleaning up the site. In September 2007, the site became a Federal EPA Superfund Site. Superfund is EPA's program created to identify, investigate and clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. Currently, the EPA is conducting test studies and DOES NOT HAVE A TIMELINE FOR CLEAN-UP. IN OTHER WORDS, IT CAN BE THERE FOR ANOTHER 40 YEARS! WHAT MAKES HALACO SO TOXIC? The chemical wastes are known to cause nausea, cancer of the skin, kidney, bladder, lung, prostate, and liver as well as cardiovascular disease, brain defects, bone disorders, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's Disease, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, heart damage, and swelling of the brain, kidney and liver.

On July 17, 2008 the community of Oxnard organized over 500 people for a community rally where we ask elected officials to work together so that can together we would work with Environmental Protection Agency to clean this superfund site.

Today youth leaders and organizers are training community members for an even bigger rally on October 12, 2009 so that the EPA will take this issue as one of the priorities to get clean as soon as possible to prevent more peoples’ sickness and destruction of animal habitats.

By Erica Fernandez, Sewon Jang, and Caroline Marks

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

The Green Dorm at Stanford University was born in a brainstorming session organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in November 2003. In August 2005, the School of Engineering formally selected a team of architects to lead the project. Students and faculty proposed creating a dorm that would not only house students but also provide:
“1) A Living Laboratory for Research
2) Measurable Environmental Performance
3) The Most Desirable Housing on Campus
4) Economic Sustainability”

This is a computer rendering of the building:

Using technology developed by Stanford students the Green Dorm will generate more electricity than it consumes and will have zero net carbon emissions. A variety of innovations has been developed and will be tested inside the dorm. A few of these new inventions are:

The low flow showers that Stanford currently uses have a 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) performance. The “ultra low flow” shower head developed by Jonas Ketterle would use 1.5-2.0 gpm which could reduce water use in the green dorm by over 1000 gallons per week

Green roofs, developed by David Sheu, benefit the building by reducing UV radiation, buffering temperature, and retaining storm water. These green roofs would work in tandem with solar cells to provide the dorm with energy and reduce its net carbon emissions.

Engineers expect the Green Dorm project to reach completion in 2009 or 2010. Once established, it will undoubtedly become the most desirable dorm on campus. With such a goal, this dorm could very well serve as an example for future dorm construction and innovation.

About us:

This is us, Eric Griffis, Galym Imanbayev, and Carolina Zubiri :]. As Stanford freshmen we are really excited about exploring the different opportunities available to us on campus, and specifically this pioneering project. We look forward to exchange thoughts with you, our fellow students of the world, and learn about what you are passionate about.

Sources:
http://soe.stanford.edu/research/greendorm.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/greendorm/greendorm.html

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

The definition of ecotourism according to Webster's New Millennium Dictionary: "tourism to places having unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environment being a primary concern." Despite its noble intentions, however, can it really be said that enticing urban crowds to trample through "virgin" landscapes promotes the formation of a profound, personal bond with the natural world around us?

A majority of the pictures that result from these trips are the epic panoramas with no person in sight, much like my (Julien’s) trip to New Zealand this last spring. The actual experience of an ecotour is more like the picture below: lines of people waiting an hour and a half for a short glimpse of the America of only two centuries ago.

So is the attention ecotourism brings to the beauty of well-preserved nature worth the environmental cost that the almost ignorant crowds bring to places like Half Dome in California which I (Peter) hiked only a week ago? For the most part, we say yes.

As part of college orientation, I (Kevin) took an “ecotour” with other Stanford freshman in the form of a student-led backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas (much more personal than those big-company “expeditions”). Despite our numerous encounters with other backpacking groups, all it took was a little searching to discover moments of total tranquility amidst the grand expanse of the Emigrant Wilderness. With a majestic alpine sunrise before me one morning, the knowledge of another group camping nearby sank into the recesses of my mind, and I sat in awed quiet, feeling as if there were an answer to something—or everything—warming my skin. On our last day, we formed a gesture of innocent happiness before the wilderness that brought us this sustenance.

So take your structured ecotours if you're clueless and genuinely interested—just remember that for a little extra effort you can craft a journey that you can call your own, and if only for a few moments, you'll find nature just as it was, the way it was meant to be.

By Julien De Mori, Peter Leemputte, and Kevin Mori

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

While Stanford has taken many strides towards becoming a greener and more eco-friendly campus, there is still much that needs to be done in order to reduce waste.

Because we are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshmen, various groups on campus adamantly attempt to recruit us. Their weapon of choice? A surplus in fliers. On just our first day at Stanford, we amassed a giant stack of fliers from organizations and clubs that we would never join. Most only received a passing glance before being sorted into the rubbish pile.

Luckily, Stanford's Recycling Program deals with a lot of the community's paper waste. Old papers, catalogs, cards, and even books are collected in bins stationed throughout the campus. Then, through the Recycling Center, paper is sold to a broker or to a paper mill, and ground back into pulp to make more paper. But an even better option for all our paper is to re-use it as scratch paper before recycling. This is often called “precycling.”

Within the student-led Sustainable Stanford group, a team has begun a revolutionary enterprise: they will collect used paper that still has a clean backside and bind it into notebooks, using cardboard cereal boxes as the covers. The team will sell these to the students to raise money to further support sustainability efforts.

Some students and faculty are also transitioning to a “Paperless Classroom,” in which assignments can be submitted electronically. In addition to reducing paper use, providing reading materials online can significantly reduce the traditional cost of buying textbooks. However, despite the attractive incentives of an education that is both economical and eco-friendly, many people find it difficult to read or write as effectively on a computer. For those who prefer paper, printing texts on precycled paper and using the aforementioned notebooks are nifty options.

The evolving goal of a sustainable world is dependent on the continued efforts of groups and individuals just like you!

by Annemarie G. , Elise G.-C., and Rowena K.

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

The following three excerpts address ocean views from three unique perspectives: A Native American from South Dakota, a Hawaiian Surfer, and a San Diegan Spearfisherman. These entries are part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

Living in the middle of the country, in a town so small you know everyone and everything, the biggest body of water I’d seen was the local high school’s swimming pool. You can only imagine the excitement I had built up in anticipation of seeing the ocean for the first time. As the ocean spread before me my expression was similar to the look on a mother’s face when her first child is born. Being next to something so big reminds a person of how small they really are in the world. The worries in the mind of a small town girl fade away with the footprints I left for the tide to erase.

For me, seeing the ocean for the first time is an entirely foreign idea. I was born in the ocean, or may as well of been, because without the ocean there is no me, or at least only a shadow. Within every ocean there are waves, waves that crumble, peel, and pop. Waves that yearn for you, yearn for me, and yearn to be ridden. There is nothing greater than riding a wave.

As it effortlessly undulates under your feet you feel in control, on top of everything, on top of the ocean. Fish below playfully peck at coral as the wave rolls by. Rainbow mist hisses off the lip like a colorful eyelash and you can think of nothing but the wave. As the wave walls you crouch low and run your fingertips softly through the vertical sheet. Gradually the wave encases you in a glass tube. There is no noise but the ocean, no sight but the ocean, no feeling but the ocean. You are the ocean.

Once your head plunges below the tumultuous ocean surface silence overtakes you. Suddenly the sea has a new identity, one that is both daunting and captivating. Any observer from above can clearly see the physical power that the ocean possesses, but when you submerge yourself, what will strike you most is you can feel the power of the ocean reverberating through your body. For a few moments the feeling can be frightening, compounded by the darkness that lies below and the awareness that you are out of your domain. Slowly, the dull hum of a thousand sounds begins to fill in around you, broken only by the steady “whoosh” of waves crashing onto the rocks. Your initial anxiety is replaced by one of the most intense feelings of tranquility that a person can experience. You’re a small, insignificant speck in a world that can literally eat you alive. This is my Zen. Entering this world that makes you feel entirely powerless is the most empowering thing you can do.

By Tonia Waldner, Chris Burniske, and Nick Mendoza

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

Climate change is an issue faced by the entire world. It threatens to alter the environment of the Earth as we know it. Not only does this impending dramatic change jeopardize our habitat as humans, but it also detrimentally affects the habitats of other species. Stanford is taking action against climate change by encouraging student awareness of environmental issues and creating a foundation for environmentally sustainable growth.

When walking through campus, one sees brightly colored flyers decorating almost every window, encouraging students to be proactive and get involved in classes or student organizations dedicated to combating climate change. Bicycles are the usual mode of transportation among students and faculty. Roadways throughout campus are designed specifically for these bicycles. In addition, recycling bins can be found throughout campus and often outnumber trash bins, providing students with an alternative, environmentally sound way to dispose of waste.

One of Stanford’s most recent building projects is the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2). Engineers constructed this building with a strong vision of environmental sustainability. The photograph above on the left shows one of the building’s four main atriums. These atriums stretch four stories high and allow natural light to enter the entire building, including the basement. The windows, controlled by computers, are also designed to efficiently ventilate the building, minimizing the use of air-conditioners. Photovoltaic panels have also been installed on the roof of the building to generate electricity from sunlight, making the Y2E2 building a true prototype of sustainable development.

Stanford University is assuredly doing its part to limit its adverse environmental impact and address the growing problem of climate change. This problem cannot be resolved by just one community, but hopefully Stanford’s efforts will promote environmental awareness elsewhere. In short, living “green” at Stanford is a main priority of the students and faculty and is just plain cool!

Suggested Link:

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/march5/y2e2-intro-030508.html

Written by: Alysha de Souza, Joanna Rosene-Mirvis, and Muthu Alagappan at Stanford University
Photographs by: Alysha de Souza and Joanna Rosene-Mirvis

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

In most societies across the globe, people have consistently found themselves in a kind of battle with nature, creating new technologies and "advancing" as a way to improve quality of life by distancing oneself from the natural world. This continues to a point where people realize that the New York City skyline is a botched impersonation of the majestic alpine mountain range. The citizens of metropolitan areas eventually come to understand that being a part of nature is part of being human. As a result there is a veritable exodus of backpackers who leave the city grounds during the summer months in search of personal natural sanctuaries. On the other hand the upper echelons of society invest financial and intellectual resources in the protection and restoration of nature's treasures. It turns out that after our long march of progress, in the end we come full circle.

As civilization progresses and technologies advance, the divide between humans and the natural world grows. In less developed societies such as the rural Honduran village shown in this photo, the citizens are still engaged in this struggle by, for example, creating the infrastructure for street lamps so that they might experience electricity for the first time and no longer have to manage their lives around natural light cycles.

On the other hand, people in metropolitan areas seek to escape a man-made world.

This summer, I decided to hike the Haute Route from the Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. I wanted to know what it is like to be truly alone, to leave the bustling city of Berlin behind and carry everything I need to survive on my back. I was happy to have the mountains all for myself, knowing that I belonged to the wilderness around me. On my 9th day of travel the scenery changed from lush green mountainsides to a world of gravel and rock. I was in a place beyond the world of men and yet man's influence had begun to destroy it. I realized that the mountains are only everlasting in the words of the poet, for I could see them crumbling and dying without the protection of their blanket of Ice. I reached Zermat, the majestic city at the foot of the Matterhorn determined to change my way of life and learn what I can here at Stanford to contribute to the preservation of nature’s beauty.

This is a common attitude that has begun to emerge in our industrial world.

Slowly, but surely, people search for avenues to live more “sustainable” lives. The Stanford community, for example is limiting its carbon footprint and waste. The Frisbee in the picture is made out of hundred-percent recycled plastic, and the electric vehicle splits out no emissions. In addition the university has taken on several green building projects and devotes an entire department to sustainability.

This is the first time in history where a movement that is in harmony with the natural world has not attempted decouple itself from industry but instead is using highly advanced technology to reconcile the use and preservation of natural resources.

Ellery Wulczyn, Troy Wu, Anna Doty

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University a joint assignment between Stanford University students and American University in Cairo students. For more about this assignment, click here.

The authors are Amy Jang, Nico Lanson, and Michael Breish.

Throughout the world, environmental issues have become crucial aspects of our lives. As we sense the growing importance of rapid climate changes, we start to care more about our energy use and nature. It seems that the development of technology accelerates destruction of nature, such as loss of trees and diverse animal species, and so on. Are we, human beings, responsible for destroying nature? Or is this process part of the natural cycle? Are we living with nature or are we living against nature?

This crucial balancing act between men and nature is evident in our surroundings. As you approach the menacing hill at Stanford, you first assume that the overall hill's look will be the same as the one first implanted in your mind as you laid eyes on it. However, as you begin to climb, you catch the sight of a steel behemoth looming over the natural tranquility of the minor mountain. This towering construction born out of the dreams and hopes of man is the reason the trail and hill is simply called "The Dish." The photo below demonstrates the juxtaposition of nature and man; the dish almost seems to be blooming out of the ground, blending in with the natural surroundings. This lone tower seems to be hiding reclusive feelings man has towards nature...

Evidence of human civilization and nature blends together in the image below, especially because the machine seems to be decaying into the forest. It reminds us that human life is a passing phase in the great history of the universe, one of many cycles. As our constructs are created and pass away, new technology is made, outdated, rotted away- so we will follow. In short, everything decomposes, joins with the Earth in time and eventually is reborn.

In contrast to the above pictures, where a hint of civilization enters the great nature, the picture below shows the nature fitting into the men's world. The soil is enclosed by asphalt, and the ground is dug to function as a drain hole. Iron bars accentuate the sense of confined nature by human civilization. To function as desired, everything needs to be planned and controlled just as the sign says, “No Dumping! Drains to Bay”. Intentionality and manipulation by human civilization seem to destroy nature, where everything happens unintentionally and naturally. However, there is still a hope of life. Although smudged, a weed has survived through asphalt and breathes through a pit. Will nature and men be able to blend together harmoniously? We human beings are part of nature, but our conquest of the nature and the development of technology seem to separate us apart.

Men has yet to strike the perfect balance in finding his role with nature, and that falls along the lines of achieving 100% sustainability. As a species, we are trying though, and these pictures demonstrate the achievements - and struggles - that have transgressed as we continue to become with one nature and not its enemy.

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a photo blog assignment on environmentalism for an Environmental Rhetoric class at Stanford University. For more about this assignment, click here.

    Pollution of underwater ecosystems is a dangerous issue that if left untreated results in the devastation of these aquatic rainforests. We took the following pictures off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. Our first two pictures demonstrate the beauty of this diverse habitat and the immense biodiversity that they contain. We chose the latter two pictures because they capture the destruction of the reefs and the struggle of the lone creatures to survive within their damaged homes.

     Off the coast of Maui, there are many coral reefs that are teeming with an abundance of marine life. This ranges from sea turtles to reef sharks, octopi, Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Raccoon Butterflyfish, and other creatures that are unique to this area such as the Hawaiian state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a. They all belong to a delicate ecosystem that has unfortunately been impacted by an increase in Hawaiian tourism. Agencies such as Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) are engaging in efforts to preserve the remaining reefs.

    Humans tend to be the main cause in endangering this particular habitat by careless interaction with the reefs and climate change. One specific case is the reckless act of feeding the fish. This in turn upsets the eating habits of the fish preventing them from cleaning algae off of the coral. Humans also overfish in these areas, which disturbs the ecological balance of the reef. Recently our contribution in CO2 emissions has skyrocketed thus more carbon dioxide has dissolved in the ocean forming carbonic acid. Ultimately this lowers the pH level, a property of the water that adversely affects coral reef growth and development.

    So what can we do to prevent this issue from escalating even further? One easy and simple way is to reduce your carbon footprint, which will not only benefit this ecosystem but the entire planet. Due to the fact that much of the damage is done by reckless behavior from tourists, education in proper reef interaction in the form of signs and other visual aids can help raise awareness of the issue and prevent further harm. Finally, we can all get involved with organizations that provide help towards protecting not only Maui’s reefs, but those around the world. Below are some links to organizations that work towards preserving Maui’s marine environment.

Links:

Written By: Sanjay Saverimuttu, Brian Mendoza, and Thomas Carney

Posted by Stanford: Environmental Rhetoric at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hello, everyone. This is Carolyn Ross, the instructor of two sections of a Program in Writing and Rhetoric class for first year students at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. The class is called "Writing Nature: Discourses in Ecology, Culture, and Technology."

Here at Stanford, we've just completed our first week of classes, and we're off to a running start, beginning with our collaboration with students in the freshman writing program at American University in Cairo. We are *so* excited to begin this collaboration! Here's a picture I took in one the classes on Thursday. (I'll post a picture of the other class later!)

Within the next few days, students at Stanford and students at AUC who are participating in this blog will be posting what I call "photo blogs." Students in the environmental rhetoric class at Stanford have organized themselves into groups of three and have selected specific topics as the subjects of their photo blogs, all different but all of which fall into the broad theme of "environmentalism."

Right now my students are busy taking and selecting photos that tell a visual story around their topics, then they will add the written text that will complete their photo blogs. They will be posting them on Sunday, September 28.

We can't wait to see and read the photo blogs that our student partners at American University in Cairo will post around the same time and to exchange responses!

Posted by Carolyn Ross, Stanford at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Here at Stanford, we're excited to start off the Fall with new connections and new classes under the umbrella of the CCR program. Thanks to the untiring efforts and adventurous travels of our Stanford CCR guru, Alyssa O'Brien, we're looking at connections between more than 8 different PWR classes and our growing cohort of international partners, including our good friends in Sweden, Egypt, and Australia, and new friends in Russia. We are also quite pleased to welcome 4 new PWR instructors to our project -- while they all have been teaching here at Stanford for a while, they are new to CCR, and already Alyssa and I are excited by the insights and fresh ideas they are bringing to their collaborations. It promises to be a great fall: there will be video conferencing, there will be blogging (keep an eye on the blog for some amazing posts coming soon!), there may even be text chatting ... it's very exciting!

In addition, the CCR program here at Stanford is working on developing partnerships with different organizations and departments on our campus so that our resources and ever-increasing expertise in this area (not to mention our passion for cross-cultural communication) can serve as an asset to larger Stanford community.

We have big plans for the year, but it starts off small, with a few blog posts. In the next couple weeks, we're going to have posts here on the blog on Environmental Rhetoric, on Stanford culture, and on criminal rhetoric. It should make for some interesting conversations.

Posted by Christine Alfano at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)