Final Impression

On leaving the course, I have pretty much the same view that I did when I entered the course:

1. Climate change is cyclical; man should not attempt to interfere with this process.
2. The "green" economy is mostly BS, but I'm okay with it because it creates jobs.
3. Outdoor field trips are better than in-class instruction on this topic.
4. David Orr is a communist (this is a new one, I didn't know who he was).

If I were the colloquium coordinator, I would recommend that this course not be required for all students. It should be an elective. I would also remove all content about global warming, because there doesn't seem to be any interest in presenting other warming theories, like Urban Heat, which have as much if not more evidence behind them.

I did not like any of the readings. They were all either too dry and academic, or blatantly ridiculous, like Orr's "The Problem of Sustainability" or the Earth Charter. I would keep A Land Remembered, because it's actually a pretty good book and isn't intellectually offensive.

In future classes, less material such as this and more field trips would, I think, make the course more enjoyable and less of a waste of time and money.