Designing Nature's Futures

If I were to design a policy initiative, I would like to implement a system that holds people and businesses accountable for their climate actions by informing them of the carbon-footprint left by their actions. Over the last few years New York City has taken numerous actions to help change…

If I were to design a policy initiative, it would be that the sale of disposable plastic food-ware items and plastic bags would be prohibited. This policy would apply primarily to restaurants and grocery stores. It seems that a large volume of plastic waste would be composed of disposables such…

I want to start by addressing the fact that the US is officially the only country in the world that has not put forth a good-will declaration and signed the Paris Agreement. Even if the Paris Agreement and the COP23 are just for fueling momentum towards, creating momentum, being ambitious…

  To begin with I would not develop one policy. The reason for this is that in this era of democracy every party needs to feel that their needs are being met and not ignored. With that I would develop a series of policies that would cover all the bases…

We’ve all heard the horror stories – starving turtles chasing after plastic bags, mistaking them for nutritious jellyfish; dead birds washing up onshore, bellies full of microplastics, bottle caps, and various other contraptions; entangled seals suffocating, six pack rings around their necks. However, the environmental consequences of plastics are not…

As we discussed in class, the Paris Agreement is rather underwhelming in terms of concrete actionable items, especially given the way it is often portrayed in the media. One shortcoming that seemed particularly glaring was the lack of a system of accountability for the various Parties; the document failed to…

Instead of designing a new policy initiative, I would want to enforce the idea of cap and trade. Cap and trade, also known as emissions trading, is a free-market-based approach. The government sets a cap on carbon emissions, and states, organizations, firms, or even individuals are given a quota or…

My home state of Virginia contains a diverse political spectrum. The northern part of the state borders Washington, D.C. and houses many government employees. This wealthy, northern region is heavily blue and contributes to Virginia’s recent turn to a “blue” state. However, driving through the rest state tells a different…

Yesterdays discussion inspired me to go back and read what everyone’s initial responses were about our talk with Ms. Flowers and I realize mine didn’t post (I was on the road when I submitted it and I guess I didn’t have as good of reception as I thought I did).…

Catherine Flowers has an infectious positive energy and a beautiful smile. When we first came into the room, I immediately felt that I was in the presence of someone who had had vast experience in the environmental field and had lots of advice to share about environmental action. Surprisingly, I…